Redemption
by basketcse
Summary: This story has been done by a couple writers here. It's about needing change and recovery. I wanted mine to tell a similar story, but wanted it to be unique. Set current in the JE book series. Takes place nearly three years into Stephanie's career as a bounty hunter and her triangle with Morelli and Ranger. It is heavy on the angst, building to a nice ending for the characters.
1. Chapter 1

**The primary characters do not belong to me. They belong mostly to Janet Evanovich. Even though I'm not happy with her continued humiliation of this wonderful cast, I thank her for creating them and letting us play with them. **

Update - Hey readers! I will finish the ending on Handcuffs and Heartache and I have actually written two endings for There is Only One. I could not decide on one and that's mostly why I haven't posted. I can't make everyone happy on the story, so I may post them both. Votes? Do you want both endings to that story?

Big Update - I GOT THE PUBLISHING CONTRACT! Woohoo! It's a multi-book deal, so I've been busy writing the sequel. I'll get a release date soon. It has been an excruciatingly long process. There will be three editors combing my book again, the artwork and formatting will be done and get this, they'll assign me a publicist. Snort. My blog can certainly use some work and the name will change. Will keep you updated. You can go to the publisher site and sign up for the email notice that will keep you up to date on the new releases. My book, WAY TO GO will come out first on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, then other sites and outlets. Just go to Omnific Publishing and sign up for the newsletter there if you want.

Want to give a shout out to my fellow writer and pro editor, **jenrar** for her amazing contribution. She helped to bring my book to life and guided me to the right places to send my manuscript.

You know how I've been ranting about JE and the stale Plum characters never moving forward or changing? I had been wanting to write a story that has been done by a few fanfiction writers here. So, this is not really a new story, just a new take. I wanted mine to tell a similar story, but wanted it to be unique. The story is current in the JE book series. It would take place nearly three years into Stephanie's career as a bounty hunter and her triangle with Morelli and Ranger. This story is heavy on the angst with a message and hopefully I'll get it to a happy ending for the characters. I can't remember writing a story so far, that didn't have a good ending. So, stay with it.

The story is told in the first person by Ranger. That is the main twist that I gave this story.

FYI - The first chapter is short. I wanted to save the drama for the next chapter. I won't keep you hanging long for the next chapter.

Rated M - For its very serious content and language.

I'm getting better at self editing. So, all mistakes are mine on this one!

**Redemption**

**Chapter 1**

_**Redemption -**_

_**The action of being saved, from sin, error, or evil.**_

_**A deliverance. A recovery. A repurchase of something sold.**_

_**Salvation, rebirth, absolution.**_

_**The action of gaining or regaining possession of something in exchange for payment of an obligation, or clearing of a debt...**_

The captain announced that we were making our final approach into Trenton-Mercer Airport. I looked out the window at the grey overcast sky over the city, and inwardly groaned. I hated this city now. I wanted to get this meeting over with and take care of other business, including a visit with my parents'. Then I wanted to get back to Miami as soon as possible.

I would normally prefer that my family come to Miami to visit, but my Papa just got out of the hospital after having had bypass heart surgery. Too much of living the good life and eating my mama's rich Cuban cooking, I guess.

The plane touched down and our flight hostess moved to open the door. She was a busty red-head and smiled at me, making a production of opening the door like she'd done earlier bending over to serve my drink. She made sure that I noticed all of her assets before she stood up and turned to me with a seductive smile. I thanked her and headed down the stairs. Tank was leaning against his black Hummer waiting. He smiled at me. "My brother from a different mother..."

I grinned at him. "Yeah, your mama was pretty like mine, but your fuckin' daddy, the garbage man, was a foul ball."

He furrowed his brows and gave me an angry look for a minute and then burst out laughing. "Good to see you too, Rangeman."

We hugged it out and hopped in his truck. He looked at me. "Man, ain't nothin' the same without you here. I ain't gay or nothin', but I miss you, man."

I grinned at him. "Yeah? That big cock of yours always swung both ways and you know it. I miss you too, brother. How are you and Lula?"

"We pretty good now. Finally worked out the cat situation. She's takin' allergy shots and the cats have their own space in the new house. Had this guy build this cool cat habitat with trees and steps, beds, boxes and perches all over the room. They love it. We have a cleanin' lady that takes care of it."

I laughed. "You're a fucked up Mr. T, is what you are, Tank."

He glanced at me and grinned. "I'll take that. He's the man, I like Mr. T, and I _pity the fool._"

"I know what to get you for Christmas. Some bling."

He looked at me and winked. "Hey, I believe in the golden rule. The man with the gold...rules." He was quoting Mr. T.

"So, how are things in Trenton?"

He sighed. "Pretty solemn at first. Getting better. The men miss Lester and his antics, and the rest of the team."

I nodded. "It's kind of the same way in Miami. It's different there now. Guess the adjustments will take some time."

He snorted. "These are big changes after so long a period of time. We should have made them a long time ago. Maybe..." Then he abruptly stopped and I knew what he was thinking.

He started again. "Well, the company had grown to the point where we maybe should have made these moves earlier."

I looked ahead at the road and sighed. "Yeah, changes were overdue for Rangeman."

We conducted our meeting and had a sit down with the company lawyers in Trenton and then convened for lunch. Some of the men, Hal, Cal, Ram and others wanted to meet us at Shorty's, our old lunch time and after work haunt. It had been Lester and Bobby's favorite place.

The men were jovial and told stories about Lester's escapades and conquests. Even the bad ones. How Bobby used to razz him and check him for std's ten times as much as every other man. We all chuckled at that.

The meetings had gone well. The Trenton office was doing well and moving away from fugitive apprehension and into personal security which was taking hold by word of mouth. We had moved into Atlantic City first, then into New York City and now we were getting calls from Los Angeles. It was a more lucrative business and safer for my men. We concluded meetings for the day.

When the limo arrived at Rangeman after we'd returned from lunch, I clapped Tank on the back and hugged him. I really missed all my brothers. I said goodbye, straightened my Dolce suit, and stepped foot into the limo headed to Newark to see my Papa.

My mother had invited the whole family over and had a spread laid out on the kitchen counters and table. She was all over me about not eating even after I explained that my men had wanted me to have lunch with them and it hadn't been that long since I'd eaten. I just wanted to visit with Papa and get to the airport for my flight home.

Mama got upset when I went to leave and begged me to stay the night. I did that inward groan thing again, but relented. I pulled out my phone and called the charter company and rescheduled my flight. I would be spending a few more hours listening to my sisters jabber and their kids screaming, and tearing through the house. Then would come the discussion about my personal life. The questions would begin, ending with the list of available women they planned to fix me up with.

I wrestled the sheets in the little twin bed all night long until I was wringing wet with sweat and it was fall. This is why I didn't want to stay overnight. My thoughts kept going back to that day. The one I didn't like to revisit.

* * *

I had been in my office doing paperwork and Zip had knocked and stuck his head in the door to tell me that Stephanie was headed to Stark Street. I sighed and picked up my phone off the desk and dialed her. "Babe, do you have a skip on Stark? Who's with you?."

Her reply was, "_Um well, Lula had a last minute appointment and I'm just gonna do a stakeout. Surveil a little is all, and then I'm headed home_."

I sighed. Sure she would. If she actually spotted her skip, she'd blast out of that car in a New York minute. Same old shit. "Babe, how many times have I told told you that my men don't even go to Stark without backup. Stop and I'll have somebody meet you."

Then came the snappy retort. "_Ranger, I've been doing this a long time now, and I can take care of myself, you know_." Then she disconnected.

I was swiping my hands down my face when Bobby opened the door and stuck his head in. "Just wanted to let you know I was headed out. What's up? You look stressed."

"Stephanie is headed to Stark, again, with no backup."

He shook his head. "When are you going to put your foot down with your woman? It's been long enough."

"She's not my woman!"

He smirked. "Bullshit! For God's sake, man up, and make your move. Then make her get some fucking training already."

TBC -


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all of your kinds words about my book deal and thank you for welcoming me back. I never forget that you guys are there! I posted a new chapter 7 on Handcuffs and Heartache and there will be one more. Hope you like it better!**

**I'm getting better at self editing. So, all mistakes are mine on this one!**

**Warning - At the last minute decided to put in a tissue alert. Some of you may need one.**

Previously -

_I was swiping my hands down my face when Bobby opened the door and stuck his head in. "Just wanted to let you know I was headed out. What's up? You look stressed."_

_"Stephanie is headed to Stark, again, with no backup."_

_He shook his head. "When are you going to put your foot down with your woman? It's been long enough."_

_"She's not my woman!"_

_He smirked. "Bullshit! For God's sake, man up, and make your move. Then make her get some fucking training already."_

**Chapter 2**

I sighed. "Maybe there was a time, but I'm not making a move, I'm way past that. I'm past fucking hoping that she'll finally do the right and responsible thing for a change."

He grinned and nodded. "I'm headed in that direction on a personal errand. I'll go a little further to rescue her reckless and irresponsible ass for you. Again."

"Thanks, hermano. Tell her to call me." This shit was getting old. He was right. Hell, they were all griping about this same subject, and they were right.

Less than an hour later the switchboard received a call. Shots were fired and a Rangeman was down. All available SUV's headed to the scene and Lester and I had jumped in my Porsche, racing there as fast as the car would move us without causing an accident. He'd glanced at me on the way and asked if I knew who it was. I hated the answer that was forthcoming with my entire being. I gave a quick nod and said, "I'm sorry. I think it's your partner, primo. He drove down there to check on Stephanie. She went there by herself with no backup, again."

His face was deadly serious when he'd said very calmly, "I swear...juro a Dios, he better be breathing when we get there or that bitch will be sorry. I don't give a flying fuck if she is under your protection..."

I'd had nothing to say to that. What could I say? I had asked these men for nearly three years now to do the equivalent of babysit this woman, especially when I was gone on missions. Her behavior had been a hot topic in our management meetings for a while. My partners liked Stephanie, but they hated her attitude and her carelessness with her life, and that of the men trying to help her.

We had pulled up to the scene and my worst nightmares had finally come to the light of day. The scene was surreal. Bobby lay on one side of the road near a stinking gutter in a pool of blood while Stephanie sat in a patrol car sobbing. The ambulance had arrived and two paramedics were working over Bobby as we ran over to him. Before we even stopped, one shook his head and the other said quietly, "He's gone. Let's note the initial time of death to pass along."

Lester stopped cold in his tracks, his face full of shock and gut wrenching emotion, tears glistening in his eyes. He was silent for a few moments, except for the groan that finally escaped him. My own emotions were at the surface, and it was all I could do to maintain the face that had seen so many men, my friends, die violent deaths. Left laying in that so familiar pool of blood.

Suddenly, this animalistic wail erupted from Lester, and he ran to Bobby as they were lifting him off the ground to place him on the stretcher and cover his body. He was yelling at the paramedics that they couldn't give up on him and cursing. I ran over and grabbed him, pulling him away. Bobby was laying not far from his truck and his vest was still open. Looked like he'd been running when he was shot. "Les, they did their jobs. He took a kill shot before he got his vest closed. He probably went almost instantly. Come with me, hermano."

He had fought me with everything he had until the ambulance doors closed, and the tears spilled. I'd hugged him while he'd sobbed for several minutes, then abruptly he'd stopped and said he was okay. I let him go and watched as he looked around, his eyes scanning the area until they zeroed in on Stephanie. When he spied her in the cop cruiser he stomped over, wrenching open the door almost taking it off the hinges, startling her. He growled at her. "Get the fuck out of the car, bitch!"

She was frightened and cowered, but I couldn't bring myself to move a muscle toward her. Her head turned to find me and I looked down at the ground. I heard Lester as he railed on her. He said to her everything that many of the men had been thinking and I know wanted to say for a long time. He called her careless, irresponsible, mindless, selfish, negligent, sloppy, ignorant, oblivious, unqualified, untrained, dangerous, and he called her a murderer.

Joe Morelli had walked up half way through Lester's angry, and tearful rant and he looked at me, but just stood there and said nothing. Stephanie had put her hands over her face when Lester had called her a murderer. He wasn't finished by a long shot. He told her that not another Rangeman would risk his life to save the likes of her, and told her to do everyone in Trenton a favor and retire from bounty hunting. No one, not even her skips were safe with her. Then he told her to rot in hell, that he would never forgive her for taking the life of his partner and best friend, he never wanted to see her face again, and then he slammed the car door stomping back to the Porsche.

She had never moved her hands from her face, and continued to sob as Morelli pulled her out of the car and put her in his piece of shit detective mobile, a late model Crown Vic. He glanced over at me one more time before he got in and drove away with her. I had detected a smug look in that short glance my way. He'd known that day, that I would no longer be a part of her life.

The last time I saw Stephanie was at Bobby's memorial service. She stood outside the door in a black dress hiding behind a plant, crying. She never came in the room or approached any of us. And I, never approached her. I don't think any of my men did either.

We escorted Bobby's body to his hometown and during the trip, Stephanie began calling me. She left several tearful voice messages. "_Ranger, I'm so sorry_.", "_Ranger, did Lester mean what he said?_", "_Ranger, please tell Lester I'm so sorry. Am I really all those things?" _

Then the last message she left was, "_Ranger, I know the answers to my questions. Thank you for everything you did for me. I'm sorry I let you down and I got Bobby killed. Please tell Lester that I'll carry this burden with me for the rest of my life. Goodbye_."

We'd had a meeting when we got back to Trenton. The three of us, Lester, Tank and myself decided that it was past time to spread out. The company had grown so much and it wasn't smart for all of us as owners to stay in one city. It was decided that I would go back to Miami where I had originally planned to make the home office, Tank would stay in Trenton, and Lester would go to Boston for the time being. Bobby's place in Atlanta would eventually be filled by a new core member. We just couldn't think about replacing him at that time.

Tank had asked to speak to me in private. We went to his office and he'd pulled out a bottle and a couple of shot glasses. "So you just gonna leave and close the book on the Bomber?"

I looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you and her had somethin' at one time. I think you loved her, think you still do."

I sighed. "No I don't, and that chapter of my life is over. What I did was wrong. I was young, and dumb, and horny, when I agreed to take her under my wing. I didn't think she'd last a week. She was amusing and I was having a little fun with her. Then I realized she had some guts and determination, probably the only nouns Lester didn't use for her. I should have put my foot down and demanded she get training in the beginning, and I never should have put our men in danger. It was deadly folly, and I'm just as guilty as she is."

"So, you just gonna walk away, not say goodbye. I know you been with her and I know she cares about you. You was friends for a long time and loyal to each other. That ain't the way to leave it, brother. She's Lula's friend and she tells me Steph ain't doin' too good."

"Tank, I don't want to see her. There is nothing I can say without hurting her. I thought there was maybe something there at one time, but who wants a woman that fucks you, and sleeps with another man too? She treats her personal life with the same disrespect and aloof attitude that she does her professional life. She's irresponsible with it, indifferent to everyone else's concerns and feelings, selfish, and a user. She never much blinked anytime I ever put serious moves on her. She fucked me back vigorously, and she's been playin' the triangle game with me and Morelli for three years. Is that someone you'd want to get serious with?''

He sighed and shook his head. "I agree with some of that shit, but Ranger, I know you. I know that ain't the whole story. That user and selfish thing goes both ways. If she really wanted Morelli, she'd be married to him. If she let you put moves on her, she wanted you to. Did you give her any encouragement at all? Any reason to choose you? What was your part in this? You said you made a mistake in her training, did you make a mistake with her heart too?"

"What the fuck, Tank? Are you seriously trying to analyze my relationship with Stephanie? Now? A professional couldn't analyze that woman."

He snorted. "Like a professional could get through that brick you call a head. I'm just sayin'..."

"And I'm saying that it's over. Let it lay, man."

That was two years ago. Since then I'd heard Stephanie had married Morelli. No big surprise there, even though she'd said many times that she hated the 'burg and didn't want to be her mother or one of those other lifeless women.

She did quit her job working for her cousin Vinnie before I left. It was the right thing to do and I give her credit for that. Her body would have been the next laying on Stark Street in a pool of blood or charred remains in a bombed out vehicle.

As much as I wanted to forget her and move on with my life, my dreams haunted me. I guess it was the guilt. I felt responsible for Bobby's death, _and_ for Steph's guilt and suffering now. I could have maybe tried harder to change the past and get through to her. Instead, I just made her a line item in my entertainment budget and put her on my payroll for insurance purposes. Dios, I'm a real dick!

I gave up on sleep and got up to take a shower and tuck the memories down deep inside again, focusing on the busy day ahead.

TBC -


	3. Chapter 3

******Thank you for all the kind reviews. That last one was a tough chapter and this one will be even more shocking. You need your big girl pants for this one. You'll soon find out who really needs the redemption. This is a very deep and dark story, and there will be some surprises along the way, along with some interesting things revealed about the characters.**

******I'm getting better at self editing. So, all mistakes are mine on this one!**

******Warning - This chapter includes adult situations and references that may be offensive to some. Don't grouch at me later. **

Previously -

_As much as I wanted to forget her and move on with my life, my dreams haunted me. I guess it was the guilt. I felt responsible for Bobby's death, and for Steph's guilt and suffering now. I could have maybe tried harder to change the past and get through to her. Instead, I just made her a line item in my entertainment budget and put her on my payroll for insurance purposes. Dios, I'm a real dick!_

_I gave up on sleep and got up to take a shower and tuck the memories down deep inside again, focusing on the busy day ahead._

**Chapter 3**

My plane wasn't due to leave until 1600 in the afternoon and between breakfast and lunch, Mama made sure that I was stuffed like a Christmas goose to make up for the day before when I hadn't eaten very much of her cooking. I had pointed to Papa and circled my heart. ""Mama, your cooking is too good." She had smacked me on the back of the head leaving a sting and making Papa chuckle.

I kissed and hugged my family goodbye and stepped into the limo. On the way to the Newark airport I had started out thinking that I couldn't leave this dreary city, and get back to Miami fast enough to relieve this tension. As soon as the plane touched down, I was calling my current companion of the last six months, to tell her to prepare for my arrival.

I was lost in thought when I spied a profile and head that I thought was familiar. I thought I was seeing things after my sleepless night, and just out of sorts being back here in New Jersey. I asked the limo driver to pull over. It was a corner on Brewster Road. A road that runs parallel to the airport and we were close to an Amtrak station. We sat there for a few minutes until I was absolutely sure about what I was seeing. I then told the driver to pull up to the corner. I described the woman there that I wanted him to address and ask to get into the car.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Sir, your plane…?"

I pulled a hundred out of my wallet and told him to give it to her, and ask her to please join me in the car. He just nodded and stepped out. A form of negotiation took place, and then she nodded and followed him to the car. He opened the door and she bent her head down, stepping a long shapely leg inside the limo, and sat gingerly in the seat next to me before she turned to look at my face. She gasped and her face began to pale as she dropped the hundred dollar bill on the seat and reached for the door handle.

I grabbed her wrist and I couldn't help my words. "What, my money not good enough for you, _Babe?_"

She looked away and her voice was barely a whisper when she said, "Please let me out of the car."

I slowly shook my head no, while raising my phone to my ear, and hitting the speed dial with my thumb. "This is Ranger Manoso. I need to postpone my flight for twenty-four hours. Leave a message with a new departure time on my cell please." I pocketed the phone and turned my attention back to Stephanie. "How much for the entire night?"

She looked horrified. "I'm sorry. I...can't. Please let me out."

I gave her my best wolf grin. "Is this not your occupation now? I want to know how much your fee is, and I want all the bells and whistles. The special stuff."

A tear escaped a corner of one of her eyes and she whispered. "Ranger, please don't humiliate me. I wouldn't be doing this if I had a choice."

"Really? Why _are_ you selling yourself? I thought you were happily married to Morelli? Or, is this just an extracurricular activity for you? I've heard housewives do get _bored_..."

Her face looked pained and she said, "Happy? You think I've been happy? Then you don't know me at all and never did. Please let me go about my business. I'm just trying to _live,_ here."

My eyes slowly scanned her and it was then I saw the lines in her face, the makeup that covered what was probably circles around her eyes. She was thin and her dress was faded and had seen better days, her heels were well worn. I felt pity for her, but I also felt anger that she would again place herself in this kind of danger, and have so little respect for herself. Always so careless that she constantly ended up in one bad situation after another. Lester was still bitter and would probably find this a fitting end for her. I was slightly sickened, but the anger, and curiosity was more prevalent.

I pulled two thousand dollar bills out of my wallet, folded them along with the hundred on the seat, and pushed them into her cleavage with two fingers. "One is for the night and the other is for anything extra that I ask of you." She gulped and a choked sob escaped her lips. I gave the driver the name of a nearby hotel, then reached for a notepad and scratched a couple of items I needed on it, then handed him the list with some cash. He didn't as much as lift an eyebrow.

At the hotel, the driver opened the door, and Stephanie stepped out. I stepped out behind her and reached to take her hand, and she pulled it back from me, wrapping her arms close around herself, looking away. "Follow me inside, Stephanie."

I pointed to a chair near the front desk. She looked at the chair and glanced at the front door. Knowing how her mind works, I shook my head no, and pointed to the chair again. She slowly sat down and lowered her head.

I asked for a suite and gave the front desk clerk my credit card. Then I asked for an appetizer platter and some champagne to be sent to the room. I declined help with my bag and turned with key in hand, motioning for Stephanie to follow me to the elevator.

She never looked up and never said a word as she followed me to the room. Using the electronic key, I entered, and motioned for her to follow. She stepped inside the room, but just stood there inside the doorway in an uncomfortable stance, arms still wrapped protectively around her body. It only aggravated me further. "Go take a shower and put the hotel robe on. I ordered something to eat and drink to be delivered."

She didn't say a word and awkwardly made her way to the bathroom and shut the door. I knew I was being cold. Other than that I didn't know exactly what I was doing. I knew I wanted to know her story. What else had happened to bring her to this pathetic point in her life?

I answered the door just as I heard the shower stop. The room service employee wheeled the cart in, and I handed him a tip. The bathroom door opened, and Stephanie very timidly stepped out. She had removed most of her makeup except for that mascara she always wore. The circles and lines were very evident now. Gone was the youthful glow and the smile that had always been a part of her bright blue eyes. Now those eyes were dull, and there was no longer light there.

My chest tightened for a few moments, and I felt a small bit of tenderness for her. "Are you hungry, Stephanie?"

She just stood there and shook her head, no. I sighed. "Please sit down and eat while the food is warm."

She moved to the table like a robot and put a few small items on a plate, and sat down as far away from me as was physically possible in the living area of the suite. I pulled off my suit coat and tie and dropped them on the sofa arm. She nibbled on the food averting her eyes. "What happened to your marriage with Morelli?"

She stopped eating and sat her plate on the coffee table. She said very softly, "If you don't mind, I'd like to just get started. I can't actually stay the whole night."

It was clear she planned to disengage and treat me like any other John, and it made me angrier. I would be damned before I would let her do that. She would feel something tonight, regardless of what it was…

"As you wish. Come here and drop the robe. Bend over the back of the sofa and spread your legs wide. Do it now, please."

The dull eyes looked up for a second at first surprised, and then she lowered her head again, walking over to where I was standing. She dropped the robe, turning to the sofa, and bending over it. As she had turned, I had almost gasped. _Dios_, choking it down, I looked at the dark welts down her back and backside. Could I really do this? But when I got close to her, my libido surged. I remembered, and I felt the tiniest tingle. Only now, it was centered in my groin area. I was hard as a rock, I wanted to fuck her so badly. I reached out and gently touched her back, and her reaction was to recoil like she was repulsed by me. By me? I was positive that I wasn't the most disgusting she'd fucked for much less. I should be the one repulsed by her. That reaction just brought my anger to the fore again, and my question was answered. Yeah, I can do this.

She gripped the sofa and moved her legs apart. I unzipped and donned a condom, grabbing her around the waist, I kicked her legs out even further with my shoes. I said sharply, "Prepare yourself for me."

Silence, then, "What? I don't..."

I said without emotion. "You know what I mean. When I'm with a whore, I make her shower. I don't go down on prostitutes, nor do I kiss them or touch them with my hands. Finger yourself, get yourself wet."

Her posture stiffened, but she did what I asked and touched herself. When she removed her hand, I plunged inside her in one stroke, nearly groaning at the surge of sensation that hit me. I had forgotten the unique feel that was Stephanie. I pulled her close to me and ran my lips across her neck feeling her pulse and biting down. Then I felt something else when I moved my hand up to grasp her breast, her ribs were very prominent. She tensed even further, clamping down on me and I wanted to moan again from the pleasure. At the same time, l didn't want her to know I was enjoying her, so I pumped harder until I quickly came. The next time I would make her engage and look at me.

I backed away and zipped up, walking to the table and turned to collect myself. I opened the bottle of champagne and filled a glass. "Finish your plate and drink this." She slowly raised up, picking up the robe and pulling it on. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and I opened it to the limo driver. He handed me a small bag and said goodnight.

While she finished both the food on the plate, and the champagne in the flute glass, I put my hand in the bag and pulled out the box of condoms and the lubricating gel, dropping them on the coffee table. Her head slowly moved to the items. "Set the plate down, come here and finish undressing me, then take me in your mouth."

Over the period of the next two hours, she never looked me in the eye, but did everything I demanded. She did things that I'd rarely asked another woman to do, and she never broke, never spoke a word or made a sound. When I had tried to make her look at me, she'd looked through me and it almost made me shiver. The whole time I'd wanted the feisty woman I knew to make an appearance. To raise her head and look at me and take control or try to stop me, but it never happened. Instead, mindless, the prostitute dutifully did her job, she let me unmercifully use her and it sickened me.

I finally fell over exhausted and spent. I was in a post coital fog and could barely hold my eyes open, moving into a sated state of unconsciousness. Stephanie rolled to her side as far away from me as possible, curling up into the fetal position on the edge of the bed. I had wanted to break her, but the opposite happened. I couldn't physically perform another minute, and drifted into that familiar and uncomfortable dream state I'd adopted. Just before, I almost said, "Babe," and reached for her to pull her to me, then remembered and retracted my hand. This was not my Babe.

My eyes snapped open when I heard a door click. I turned my head and looked at the vacant bed. Stephanie was gone.

TBC -

I can tell you now that this Ranger was serious when he he told Tank that his feelings had changed for Stephanie. He'd lost respect for her and the amusement had worn off for him and the other men long before Bobby ever died. That's how he could do what he did.


	4. Chapter 4

**********Hehehe! One of you dubbed me the "dark plum" writer and made me snicker. I'll take it. Oh boy, you should read one twisted version of There is Only One, I wrote. I was in a melancholy mood and my fingers got to typing and phew, it became a twisted mess. That's why I wrote two versions. See, I've known good people that have bad secrets and that is what this is about. I think these characters are capable of that. If they are not going to be moved along in a natural way, at least make them realistic with faults and problems like real people now and then. Even if you want to hate them, it makes them interesting and the story gripping. Right?**

**********Anyway, very positive reviews and I appreciate it. Keeps me tip-tapping on the keyboard. I have a new one and have already wiped off half my letters. **

**********I'm getting better at self editing. So, all mistakes are mine on this one!**

**********Warning - A couple details are spilled about Ranger's behavior with Stephanie.**

Previously -

_I finally fell over exhausted and spent. I was in a post coital fog and could barely hold my eyes open, moving into a sated state of unconsciousness. Stephanie rolled to her side as far away from me as possible, curling up into the fetal position on the edge of the bed. I had wanted to break her, but the opposite happened. I couldn't physically perform another minute, and drifted into that familiar and uncomfortable dream state I'd adopted. Just before, I almost said, "Babe," and reached for her to pull her to me, then remembered and retracted my hand. This was not my Babe._

_My eyes snapped open when I heard a door click. I turned my head and looked at the vacant bed. Stephanie was gone._

**Chapter 4**

I quickly grabbed some jeans out of my bag and put my running shoes on, grabbing my wallet as I moved. I ran down the stairs and headed to the hotel doors and looked out , I saw her curly locks just as she ducked into a cab. I ran out the door and growled, rudely knocking a guy out the way and jumping into his cab, yelling at the driver to follow the one ahead just moving after a red light.

I felt a burning need now to know her story. The anger was gone and I just couldn't leave like this, with so many unanswered questions. The cab stopped at a small, run down, apartment building and Stephanie stepped out and ran up the steps. She was crying. I told the driver to stop and paid him, ran up the steps, and heard a door open and close a couple of flights up. Looking to my left, I saw a mailbox with the name Plum on it, and headed up the stairs.

When I got to the door, I was shocked to hear a baby crying. I listened another minute, then picked the lock, and opened the door. She and another woman were standing there shaking, and both were holding a gun on me. Stephanie said bitterly, "You may think you can abuse me however you like when I'm on the street, but you will not break into my home. Get out before I shoot you, because I really want a reason to pull this trigger."

I was at first surprised at her tone, and then smirked. "Morelli finally got his way, married you, and then abandoned you, leaving you to hook to take care of his own kid? What a guy you chose, Babe! Or, does it belong to another guy? Were you involved in another sexual triangle after I left? You just like variety perhaps?"

She still had tears in her eyes, and her lips were quivering. Then she pulled the trigger, and I wanted to jump as a bullet zinged past my right ear and lodged itself into the door jamb.

She continued to hold the gun on me. She'd rarely fired a gun outside of Rangeman, the whole time I'd known her. "Get out." She said coolly.

I growled. "Babe?"

Then she screamed. "Don't you dare call me that! You're not that man anymore. I said, get...out!"

"You won't shoot me, and I'm not leaving until you answer my questions." A slow grin spread across her tortured face, and I watched as she did pull that trigger. Like in slow motion, the bullet hit me, knocked me back, and I cursed at the pain, falling against the door and sliding down.

I watched as she pulled a phone out of her bag with shaking hands and made a call. I just sat there disbelieving and blinking, trying to get my bearings and get up. I'd forgotten how fucking bad bullets hurt. The door pushed against me, and then shoved me over, and two big guys came in and grabbed me. Stephanie said, "Use his phone and call 911 for an ambulance, then leave him outside on the doorstep." Her words were cold and her blue eyes were dark as night.

She took a few steps before standing over me. "Don't ever come back here or think about touching me again, Ranger. I swear to almighty God, I will kill you next time."

I was dragged down the stairs by her pimp, or her friends, or just a pair of hoods. One reached in my jacket to grab my wallet, and when I tried to stop him, the other one hit me. Gave me an uppercut in the right place and knocked me over and out.

I woke up in the hospital groggy and out of sorts, then I felt the pain. I groaned and tried to yell out, but my throat was scratchy and dry. Feeling around, I finally found the control panel with the call button and pushed it. A nurse walked in and I told her I needed my phone. She put up a finger and started to leave and I growled at her. "Give me the damn phone first!"

She made a face and slapped the hospital phone off the side table on the bed next to me. "I'll be back with the doctor." She filled a cup with water and dropped a straw in before giving me a look and leaving the room.

I punched in a phone number and picked up the handset. Tank picked up on the first ring. "What the fuck, Ric? You're not at the hotel where the limo driver left you, you're not answering your phone and you missed your flight. He also said that you picked up a hooker. Have you lost your damn mind?"

"It was Stephanie, and she fucking shot me. I'm in a hospital in Newark."

He was silent a minute and then said, "Yeah, you have lost your fuckin' mind. Which hospital?"

I looked at my bracelet and mumbled the name. He said a curt, "On my way," then disconnected.

Tank walked into the room a while later with his arms folded. "Good news. You're gonna live. Now tell me, why the fuck would Bomber take a shot at you? What did you do?"

I was surprised that I had the good grace to blanch a little and turned my head. I had degraded, and I had done it out of more than two years worth of pent-up frustration, and anger at her. The grief was the straw that let the animal out. I had punished her, and she never broke, never whimpered or said a word. I had been relentless, exhausting myself burning through all those raw feelings I had built up. What I had done to her was almost as bad as what I had endured while captive on missions in third world countries, and now I was ashamed. She had reason to resent me, even hate me. I had followed a wrong with another incredibly stupid wrong, and it had landed me in the hospital, and I had hurt someone I used to care deeply for.

Still looking away, I said, "I was angry and I hurt her."

He threw up his hands. "I still don't understand. Why and how?"

I said sadly, "Tank, she was the hooker. I paid her and made her do things..."

He walked over to the bed and looked down at me. "You mean to tell me, you picked up a friend that was down on her luck and took advantage of her?" He ran his hand over his bald head. "Man, Lula would have fuckin' shot your ass too, and still might."

"Tank, she has a baby. Please do some undercover work and find out if she and Morelli had one, and what's up with that. She was evidently willing to kill me over it and..."

He sighed. "I've seen you on a woman when you havin' one of them spells, man. I would have killed you over the other stuff…"

"Tank, I had so much built up… Like Les...I couldn't..."

"I know, brother. I've been there before, remember? I lost my first partner to friendly fire, and that's how I ended up with your sorry ass. I almost killed the guy that owned that bullet. With what we found out, we should all be better on the mend. Lester will eventually compartmentalize and heal. You will too. Fuck, we all will. I miss him every day..."

I got out of the hospital and hung around Trenton. Stephanie's bullet had gone through fat and muscle underneath the breast area on my side. It went through and although I was sore, it was the best place for the bullet to hit me. It made me wonder if her shot was an accident. If it wasn't, I was impressed. Trenton had a new medic checking in on me. His name was Adam, and he was a new hire straight out of the Marine Corp. He was a good guy, and going to school while working for Rangeman.

Unfortunately, Tank had talked to Lula. She had demanded to know where Stephanie was living. She was shocked, and saddened that she was hooking, and wanted Tank to take her to Newark. There was a knock later on the apartment door, the same day that I gave him the location of the building in Newark. I opened the door and Lula blasted in, Tank right behind her.

She looked like an angry bull with her stance, nostrils flaring, and high heel tapping out a beat on the floor while glaring at me. She raised a finger and shook it in my face. "I'm half tempted to pull out my own big ass gun and put a bullet in yo' other titty, motherfucka'."

I looked at Tank and he put up his hands. "I'm out of this. You gonna take the bullet if she does."

Lula got in my face and shook her finger again. She had tears in her eyes when she said the next words. "Ramirez was an animal. I never took you as the same. She trusted you more than any other person she ever knew, and you was her friend. How could you take advantage of a woman down on her luck like that?"

I snapped back. "Besides getting Lester's partner and one of my best friends killed, what the fuck is her excuse this time? Is she swearing none of its her fault? It was never about bad luck, it was about carelessness! She wouldn't talk to me, and I was fucking angry with her. She's a whore, and I paid good money to take it out on her foolish fucking ass!"

Her eyes got huge and she growled at me, reaching in her big purse digging around, and pulled out a big Glock. "She's just a ho', huh? I'ma bust some payback for my girl in yo ass. I swear I will!"

Tank reached out and quickly grabbed her Glock. He said, "On second thought. She ain't as good a shot as Bomber evidently was, and I don't want another dead partner."

Lula turned and glared at him and then looked back at me. She said bitterly, "Just 'cause she didn't want to tell you her story, didn't mean you had the right to defile her like you did. You jizzed all over her, took her where nobody took her before, where she was still a virgin. You hurt her."

I glanced at Tank and he turned his head. I was ashamed that they both knew some of what I'd done to her. I was ashamed that Stephanie now knew the twisted behavior toward women that I was capable of. "And now I'm ashamed of those things I did, Lula. Please tell me why she's doing what she's doing."

"Sit yo ass down. I'm gonna tell you her story and then I'm leavin'. I can barely look at yo nasty Cuban ass. You ain't Batman to me no more, and you ain't no fuckin' hero."

TBC-


	5. Chapter 5

**************Great reviews and comments, and naturally, lots of questions. As I said before, there will be things revealed during the story about a few of the characters. **

**************I'm getting better at self editing. So, all mistakes are mine on this one!**

**************Warning - Probably a tissue or two needed here.**

Previously -

_I glanced at Tank and he turned his head. I was ashamed that they both knew some of what I'd done to her. I was ashamed that Stephanie now knew the twisted behavior toward women that I was capable of. "And now I'm ashamed of those things I did, Lula. Please tell me why she's doing what she's doing."_

_"Sit yo ass down. I'm gonna tell you her story and then I'm leavin'. I can barely look at yo nasty Cuban ass. You ain't Batman to me no more, and you ain't no fuckin' hero."_

**Chapter 5**

Lula sat down and dropped her big purse and asked Tank to get her a drink. He went to the fridge and grabbed some beers and came back, handing one to me and one to her. She took a big pull and started talking. "First thing she did after Bobby was killed, was quit her job with Vinnie. She told us those things Lester said to her that day. I have my own guilt about that day too. I was supposed to go with her, and I got a call for an opening at the salon to get my weave re-done. My weave. While a man was layin', dyin', I was at the beauty shop gettin' my damn hair done." She shook her head and took another pull on the beer.

"There was a story in the paper about that day, and the shooting, and it hinted at placing blame on her. But that was just the first story. She couldn't find work anywhere, not even to clean guts at the meat market, nothin' open at the factories. Rumors are powerful, and all them newspaper stories, I guess people was afraid to hire her. In the mean time, Morelli and her mother was puttin' a lot of pressure on her to marry. Then Rex died, and she took that personal. She was about to lose her apartment, and just gave up, and moved in with him. He didn't waste no time with you out of the picture. They flew to Vegas and had a quickie wedding. The only ones that was happy about it was him and her parents. His mother and crazy grandmother was over there all the time meddlin' and all up in their business. They criticized her for everything, housekeepin', cookin' skills, even the way she took care of Bob, the damn dog.

She kept tryin' to get a job even though Morelli really didn't want her to. He was tryin' his best to get her knocked up. Then he came in one day and caught her..."

She stopped and downed the rest of her beer and belched. Loudly. I looked up and Tank and he shrugged. I asked, "Caught her doing what?"

"She was takin' birth control. She was terrified of havin' a baby and bein' responsible for another human being. She believed what Lester said to her that day. She even thought she killed Rex."

I furrowed my brows. "That hamster must have been a hundred years old in rat years. How can she blame herself for an animal dying of old age?"

She glared at me. "How can you ask that? Everybody hatin' on her and leavin' her. Nobody wants to talk to her or give her a job. She ain't got things right in her head now. Morelli demanded she stop takin' the pills, and she cried and told him that she was afraid, and just couldn't have a baby. He told her she would do it or he would have the marriage annulled. That's exactly what he ended up doin' too. Not long after, he met a woman on the job. Single and new to Trenton. He told Stephanie that he was in love with the woman, and was sick of the way she'd done him over the years. Told her he not only knew about all the meetings in the alley with you, he knew she got with you more than once. Said he knew what you was up to in Hawaii, and still loved her even after she hurt him like that.

Then he turned on her, told her he was done with her crazy ass, and pitched her out with less than she had before they married. She gave away all her furniture from her apartment. Didn't have nothin' but her clothes."

She looked at Tank. "Get me another beer, please. I'm just gettin' to the hard part..."

The hard part? She was going to make me feel guiltier than I did now? Her relationship with me had caused her harm. Though I never wanted to admit it, we did have a relationship. We'd had a very good relationship and enjoyed being with one another. We had trusted each other. The cold realization that I had shattered even that memory for her was now hard to swallow.

Tank left and came back with three more beers. Lula took the beer and took a big drink and started again. "She stayed with her parents for a couple of weeks and then she got the tough love from them. Her Dad and her grandma gave her a little money to get herself a place. She was out lookin' for a job before she moved out and ran into that weasel from the newspaper that writes all those Bomber stories. He told her he was there that day Bobby died and heard everything Lester said. Told her he was gonna' write this story about Trenton's local celebrity tellin' the truth about the Bombshell Bounty Hunter, and what a phony she his. How dangerous, and irresponsible she really was, puttin' people's lives in danger, even the police that comes to assist her. She begged him not to print a story like that because she was havin' a hard time findin' a job in Trenton. You know she hates them stories, and don't give a damn about bein' no celebrity, but he don't know that and don't care."

She had tears in her eyes when she took a breath, and a drink of her beer. "He told her he would ditch the story if she would give him a hummer right there in the alley. She was desperate and she did it. That was the beginning, said she felt like a ho' already after that day."

I ran my hands down my face and Lula had tears rolling down her face. "I been that desperate before. I know how people just wanna' kick you when you're down," she said.

Tank got up at that point and began pacing. "Fucker printed that piece anyways. Her parents was angry, and embarrassed over that, on top of the marriage failing with Morelli. She knew then that she'd have to leave Trenton. She went to Newark and found that cheap place to live in that bad neighborhood. Bought a few pieces of shitty furniture at a Goodwill or some store like that. She tried makin' contact with people she used to work with there, and still couldn't find work. She tried fast food and was soon fired." She shook her head. "Mmm, mm. Didn't do much better with burgers than she did with clucky chicken."

She smiled a little, I guess thinking about Stephanie working with food. She took another drink of her beer and looked serious again. "Got a job after that as a checker at a gas station. About a month later, was walkin' home one night because she didn't have the money to even put gas in her car. She found somethin' in an alley next to a dumpster that shocked her and changed her."

I raised an eyebrow and Tank stopped pacing. I asked. "What was it?"

She shook her head. "Somebody had left a newborn baby layin' there like trash to die of starvation and exposure, and if that didn't get it, the rats would have. They was already movin' in, it still had the cord connected to it and was bleedin'."

Tank and I both reacted to that. "_Jesus!"_

"_Jesús Cristo!_"

She nodded. "She shooed them rats and snatched up the poor little thing, and ran home with it. Went knockin' on a neighbor door that had a kid, and the girl helped her. They tied off the cord and cleaned it up, then wrapped it up and fed it. The baby was a girl, light-skinned, probably mixed by the look of her, and her hair. The girl told her she could call social services, and somebody would pick it up. May or may not end up with a good home. Stephanie decided to think about it. She kept it too long, till she convinced herself that they needed each other, and that she could redeem herself for gettin' Bobby killed if she saved that little baby, and did right by it. Her thinkin' ain't right now. She my girl, but she's not Stephanie."

She stopped and was quiet a minute. "A month later she lost her little shitty job that wasn't payin' the bills anyway. That friend in the building that helped her with the baby, was a ho'. She was independent, no pimp. Taught her the ropes, how to be a ho' and they help each other with the kids. She's been livin' that way for about eight months now. All that and they have to fight a local pimp that keeps showin' up, and beatin' on 'em. Trying to force them to work for him. All them motherfucka's good for is gettin' girls on crack, then they can control they asses."

She looked at me. "She would have killed you to protect that baby. She was alone and it's all she has. It belongs to her now, they belong to each other. They are just tryin' ta live. How could you do what you did to her? She lives humiliation and degradation every day. You didn't have ta punish her. She already paid." Then Lula broke down and sobbed for her friend.

Tank shook his head and gave me a cold stare for a minute. "Come on, baby. Let's go. He's goin' back to Miami and we gonna' help your friend startin' tomorrow. I promise."

He took Lula's hand and led her out of the apartment. I just sat there for hours thinking. There was a time that I did love, Stephanie Plum. A time that I would have died to keep her safe, and there were those times that she'd sacrificed her own life for me and mine. When there were doubts about me, and I was in trouble, she never wavered in her support and trust in me. Even with their history, she'd been compassionate with Morelli, her first skip, and compassionate with many others. I thought about Les, even with his own pain and anger, he would be saddened by this story. Not many people knew it, but he was a compassionate person too. I think he gave more money to charity and support for military families than he spent on himself. I just sat there as sadness and guilt like I had never felt before took me over. I had tortured and killed, and done some horrific things in my life, but what I'd done to a friend, in her great time of need, was maybe the worst. She had found her redemption in a tiny, helpless, human being. Was there any kind of redemption out there for me, or was I even worthy?

I picked up the phone the next morning and called Tank. We spoke for a long while, and he reluctantly agreed to help me. I told him that I wanted him to call Lester and talk to him. I wanted him to know what I was doing. There was something that the three of us knew that Stephanie didn't that might help her with the guilt, and I wanted either Lester to tell her or his permission to share it with her.

If there had been room to pace, I would have been pacing while waiting on the small jet. I was beginning to make the same busty flight hostess from the other day, nervous. Finally, I heard a noise outside and footsteps on the stairs. Tank was the first to poke his head in the door, followed by Lula, and then when Tank moved aside, I saw Stephanie carrying a bundle in her arms.

When she saw me, her eyes got huge and she began shaking her head. Tank caught her before she dashed back through the door. He said, "Bomber, look at me. He made a mistake and he ain't gonna hurt you no more. I promise. We all wanna' help you and Lula is goin' with you. She'll be there until you get settled in. We didn't know your were down, and we don't leave our own. All of us want to help you. Even him."

She had tears in her eyes. "But Tank, this is not just about me and..."

He assured her, "Nobody is gonna hurt you or your baby. We're gonna help you both."

A sob escaped her and she looked at Lula. "You're really going too…?"

Lula nodded. "Yeah, and I brought my gun. He gets outta' hand, we'll give him a getto castration..."

That made Stephanie smile a little and made me a lot uncomfortable being that Tank wasn't going to be with us. Tank must have been thinking the same thing and turned to chuckle at me. Fucker.

Tank kissed both women and headed down the steps. They both sat as far away from me as possible, which wasn't far since it was a small plane. I had a feeling that my life was about to get both complicated and interesting. But wasn't that how I felt, and the reason I was first drawn to Stephanie Plum those few years ago?

TBC -


	6. Chapter 6

**More great reviews and comments! Thank you.**

**I might be a little slower getting chaps to you from this point. I admit that I didn't finish the story, I was still chewing on where I wanted it to end. I have a couple in mind, still not sure. I always have a eureka moment waking up in the morning, after a nap, or in the shower. (back the visual out, it ain't pretty) It hasn't come yet.**

**I decided to give Ranger a pain in the butt. Guess who that is? LOL**

**I'm getting better at self editing. So, all mistakes are mine on this one!**

**Chapter 6**

The women were quiet throughout the flight and the baby made very few sounds. She had fussed a little after the plane first took off, then calmed down when Stephanie had given her a bottle and then a pacifier to suckle.

Stephanie never looked back at me, she just looked tense and stared straight ahead nearly the whole flight. I looked at the back of her head. Her hair had always been curly, shiny and bouncy. I remember that I developed a habit over time of tucking those stray curls of hers that would appear while I was talking to her, back behind her ears. Her brown locks were dull and lifeless now. After the baby's needs were addressed, Stephanie's would be next. She didn't look healthy, and no telling how long since she'd seen a doctor. I even wondered if the baby had ever seen one.

Although, I had been convincing enough for Tank and Lula to let me take them to Miami. I really had no clue how to fix this. It had been a very long time since I'd lived my life by the seat of my pants or what was left of it. This mess would take maybe a divine intervention. I sighed and looked out the window as the captain announced our approach into the Miami airport.

I had a new Mercedes G-Class SUV and requested that it be brought to the airport. It was big enough for all of us and the luggage. My men retrieved the baggage off the plane and loaded it. I could tell the pieces that belonged to Lula, they were a matched set, uniquely hers, and all bright pink. I had one carry-on, and a garment bag, and two other medium-sized ragged pieces were placed in the car. This was it? Not even baby items? This was all that she owned besides the second-hand furniture back at that rat-trap apartment she'd been living in? Querido Dios.

Stephanie had not raised her head the entire time. She stood like a stone statue clutching that baby to her, looking at the ground. I opened the door for her to get in the car and spoke to her. "Stephanie, we don't have a car seat for the baby yet. You'll have to hold her this one time."

She didn't move. She kept looking around at ground level like she was looking for something. Lula opened the opposite door and hopped in and spoke to her. "Come on, white girl. It's hot out there. Get in here with that little baby so we can go."

Stephanie then turned and stepped in the car. She'd been waiting for Lula. I was beginning to see what Lula had been talking about when she said that Stephanie was there, but not Stephanie. There was no doubt she might need therapy, and what I'd done had probably loaded even more time on to the total necessary to get her back to a functioning person again. How would I explain that to a therapist? I'm both her caretaker _and_ her abuser.

The penthouse apartment at Rangeman Miami was available to the General Manager, but that guy was my older brother, Francis Ricardo, or Frank. He had a home nearby and a family, and only stayed in the apartment when the branch was short-staffed or extremely busy. I had been staying there since I'd moved back during the week, and at the beach house or my companion's condo on the weekends. I was taking the women to the beach house to stay. I had called ahead to have the housekeeper fully stock the kitchen, and baths, and prepare the guest bedrooms for our arrival.

I pulled into the garage and clicked the back door open. I told Lula to take Stephanie in the house and they could look around while I was unloading the car. She said, "Come on, girl." Then walked off clucking away, Stephanie looking down and following on her heels. I shook my head.

When I walked in the house through the pantry and into the kitchen, I stopped cold. It was like I'd walked into a Mexican stand-off. Except this group weren't holding guns, they were shooting laser beams. Fuck me.

Lula was in a defensive stance, Stephanie was behind her holding the baby. My housekeeper, Betina was tapping her foot, hands on her hips. And the woman I called my companion, Aleida, was dressed in a tiny string bikini, and high-heels, blocking the doorway to the rest of house.

Betina was the first to speak. "I'm sorry, Señor Manoso. I told her when she arrived this morning, I was busy tending to your needs. She did not go away. It was not my place to tell her you had guests coming."

"That's fine, Betina. You did exactly what I would have wanted you to do. Take Lula and Stephanie upstairs and show them around please and to their rooms."

She nodded and the women followed, except I saw Lula stop just past the doorway out of the corner of my eye, and stick an ear back in to listen. I cleared my throat loudly, and her ear disappeared. I inwardly chuckled. How the hell did Tank manage that woman? My friend had big cojónes indeed.

I turned to Aleida. "We have an agreement. You don't come here unless I call and ask you to come. I didn't call you."

She ignored me and asked. "Who are those street women and that little urchin? Where did you pick them up?"

"One is my best friend's lady, and the other is a friend who needs help right now."

"The baby looks like it could be yours. Did you get that woman pregnant? Is that what this is about?"

"No, and I'm not answering any more of your questions. Please go home."

She stomped her high-heeled foot and a tear escaped one eye. "Why are you treating me like this? I thought I was yours."

I sighed. "Aleida, you're my mistress. We have a mutual respect, and enjoy one another, but no emotional ties, and I made that clear in the very beginning."

"But, you spent money on me, gave me nice things, and you treated me like I was yours."

"I treated you well, which was our agreement. I don't own you, I keep you. there is a big difference. I'm asking you again to please leave, and go home. I'll call you tomorrow or the next day."

More tears escaped, and she turned and picked up a bag next to the sofa and walked out the front door, slamming it behind her.

I walked through the kitchen doorway out to the living area, and Lula was standing at the top of the stairs. She smirked and said, "You so full of yo'self, you got you a mistress now, huh? Just think what you'd have if you'd put some of that mutual respect, and care, into enjoying a relationship with my girl. The right way. Instead, you put all of that energy into another ho' you don't care nothin' about. I pity the lonely man you must be..." She turned and walked back down the upstairs hallway.

I know why Tank sent her along now, she's supposed to torture me the entire time she's here. She's part of my payback.

In the end I left instructions with Betina, and decided to make myself scarce around the house for the first few days. I would spend a good amount of time at Rangeman. I was having a car delivered for the women tonight for their use, and Betina was going to take them shopping for baby items, and necessities first. I would enlist help with making doctor appointments for Stephanie and the baby, then on to the more personal and enjoyable needs. The pampering.

When I came home later that night, the house was quiet. I tip-toed to the bedroom that Betina had put Stephanie, and the baby in, and tried the knob. The door was locked. For the first time in my life, I was hesitant about picking that lock. I finally did anyway. I stuck my head in, and was not surprised to find a gun pointed at my head. Stephanie was curled up on one side in the fetal position and in that curve pressed against her was the baby, sleeping quietly. I sighed. "Stephanie, I promise that I won't touch you or hurt you again. I was just checking on you both. Can I get you anything?" She shook her head, still holding the gun on me.

I closed the door and continued to my room. Is that how she lived the entire time this last few months in that neighborhood? Constantly on alert? And I'd thought her old apartment had been bad.

I woke early the next morning and went for a run on the beach. When I came back in the house, Stephanie was in the kitchen making a bottle. When she turned and saw me, she looked like a deer in headlights. She actually patted herself down, looked up terrified, and raised the bottle like she was going to throw it. I put my hands up. "Save the bottle for the baby. I just want a bottle of water, babe."

She looked over at the island and pulled a knife out of a block and started past me with the bottle. I watched her run up the stairs, and ran my hand through my sweaty head. How the fuck were we going to get past this?

The other two big questions that were now floating around in my head was, is she dangerous and is she sane enough to walk freely around my house? I had this picture in my head now of waking with a knife at my throat. I actually shivered a little.

Betina arrived and began making breakfast. I went to my study and called my sister-in-law, Grace. "_Good morning, Carlos. Frank has already left for work_."

"Actually, I wanted to speak to you. I need appointments with some doctors. A general practitioner or internist, a female doctor, and a pediatrician."

She was quiet a minute. "_Well, I would make a joke, but I don't think you would appreciate it by the tone of your voice. What's the story?_"

"I'm just helping a friend from Trenton out who's down on her luck. She's got a baby that needs attention first."

"_Okay. Would you like for me to just make the appointments for you?_"

"If you don't mind."

"_What are the names?_"

"Stephanie Plum and shit, I don't even know the baby's name."

"_Stephanie? This is your Stephanie, from Trenton?_"

"Yes. No, she's not my Stephanie."

"_Carlos, we have to have the full name and these days, a social security number is required as soon as a child is born_." Fuck me, again. I know she won't have that, or a birth certificate. She can't even legally adopt the baby right now. This was going to take one of my attorney's and some time to fix.

"Grace, just make Stephanie's appointments. I'm going to have to find someone to look at the baby, no questions asked."

"_Call your sister, Carlos_."

I hung up and vigorously scratched my head, scowling. I hated talking to my sister, Sara. She was the oldest sister, the smart one, the wise one, the know it all, and the perfect one, and she still lectures me for ruining her teenage years, and her chance at the ivy league med school where she really wanted to go. But she was a doctor, a fucking pediatrician. I resigned myself and dialed her number, leaving a message.

My phone sounded in less than ten minutes. "_I'm so intrigued that you're calling me, I left a colicky baby with the nurse practitioner to call you back_."

I groaned inwardly. "I need a favor."

"_Damn. What a disappointment. I could have guessed that one. Couldn't you have been a little more creative_."

"Sara, I don't have the time or the patience for this. I need you to examine a baby about six months old. Give her a physical."

"_Why exactly are you asking me? Is this another _illegitimate_ baby of yours?_"

"No. I'm trying to help a friend from Trenton that's down on her luck. I don't think that the baby has ever seen a doctor."

"_Why didn't you take her to a doctor in Trenton?_"

"Because, she's here now. Can you just see the baby?"

She sighed. "_What's the name and I'll have the receptionist pencil in one of our emergency appointments_."

I closed my eyes. "That's the problem. No legal last name, no birth certificate, no social."

"_What? Where did this baby come from?_"

"She found it. It was abandoned next to a dumpster, left for dead, and she kept it."

"_Oh Dios mio. Carlos, I'm required by law to report this kind of thing. That baby should have been turned over to social services. It may have relatives looking for it_."

"Well it wasn't, and I doubt anyone is looking for it. It likely belonged to a prostitute or a teenager that lived in either a crack house or a rundown, rat trap of an apartment building in Newark near the airport. It was left with the umbilical cord attached for the rats to take it, Sara."

Now it was her turn to be silent for a minute. "_Bring it to me during the lunch hour_."

I went to the kitchen where the women were now eating. I said, "Stephanie, the first thing we need to do is get you, and the baby to a doctor to be checked out. The baby has an appointment at noon with a good pediatrician."

She jumped up holding the baby in her arms. I wondered if she'd taken a hand off of it since we'd left Trenton. She was shaking her head vigorously. Lula said, "She's scared they'll take her baby. She went one time and they asked so many questions, she took the baby and left."

"Stephanie, the doctor is my sister. I had to tell her the circumstances for you having a baby with no last name, and no birth certificate."

Lula smirked at me again, "Its gotta name. Why wouldn't she give it a name? That's Angel Plum."

TBC -


	7. Chapter 7

**Awesome reviews and comments! Thank you. ****You guys are REALLY into this story.**

**I'm throwing you tiny details and hints of stuff to come, and you're picking most of it up really well. I just want to verify the timeline. It's been two years since Bobby was killed. She was married to Morelli almost a year. She's been living in that apartment for about a year trying to hold her own, and she found Angel, six months ago. She'd been a prostitute for about five months. Being a ho for five months to me, would be like five years. There you go.**

**Oh, one other thing. A lot of you were perplexed about the fact that she couldn't find ANY job in Trenton. In chap 5, when Lula begins Steph's story I touch on that. It had to do with the rumors and that weasel reporter and his stories. She blows up stuff and gets people killed. LIABILITY. People were afraid to hire her when they figured out who she was. That's why she went to Newark. Good jobs in reality are scarce, if they checked her references, they would find out who she was even there. So, what's left? Fast food, gas stations, labor type work. And, maybe Wal-Mart. LOL **

**Hahaha! One gal does not like this story and said it was yucky, and she'd rather Steph be a thief than a ho. OH Lawdy! I got this instant flash of an awesome idea for a fun AU story and I'm writing it. Steph is Cat Woman to Ranger's Batman, and she's a cat burglar. Thanks Poppie! (see note below)**

Out of 102 reviews to this point, only two have been negative and they were very much alike, and like my previous stalkerish ones. However, this is not the same girl as before. I'm pretty sure this girl has been copy-catting the original ones through my last two stories, and she doesn't know, but I've figured out who she is. Very bad for her, right girls? You know me. When, not if, I get the last bit of proof I need, I will call her out and LOUD.

This is sad. The girl is a fellow writer, and several authors including myself have already figured out that she is taking content from our stories, and has been doing it for a very long time. She admits that she reads our stories, and NEVER reviews when every writer cherishes those reviews. (I have proof). These other two issues are bad enough without adding this new petty behavior to what we already know about her. It's just low-down and the ultimate dirty. The sad thing is, that the woman can write. Here is a tip for you lady, you're becoming obvious. When you leave those stupid guest reviews, muddy them up a little, leave some punctuation out, misspell a word or something...

**Back to you readers and my writer friends. Sorry about the drama, ROWW! HISS! LOL Don't be afraid to tell me honestly what you think about my story. I know the difference between a rude or mean review, and someone who is just giving me their opinion. One girl said she hated this Ranger, but liked the story. Well, that's why I'm giving him a big pain in the butt, and it's about to get worse... Hahaha! **

**Yep, Lula's going to be Ranger's bane of existence for sure. Big snicker!**

**I'm getting better at self editing. So, all mistakes are mine on this one!**

**Chapter 7**

A few minutes before noon, Lula, Stephanie, and myself were heading into Sara's office. I definitely needed to be present for this visit. The baby, Angel, was a good baby. She rarely cried and, I'd forget at times that there was even one in the house, until I would see Stephanie and the top of that little head sticking out of a blanket in her arms. That was the other thing, it was _always _wrapped in a baby blanket.

There was only one woman in the waiting room when we arrived and she was called in quickly, then a nurse came out and asked if I was Dr. Torres's brother. I nodded and she asked us to follow her. I took a couple of steps and turned and Stephanie hadn't moved to follow. I did an inward type eye-roll and looked at Lula. She said to Stephanie, "Well, come on, girl. This one is his gig, and he's gotta come with. We gotta get that baby checked out." Stephanie then slowly began to follow.

We were deposited into a waiting room that was way too small, and stuffy for my comfort. Stephanie sat in the chair next to the examination table with the baby. Lula was doing circles on the doctor's stool and humming and I was standing at the window wondering how the hell my life had gotten to this place. I was beginning to miss the desert and the jungle, and seriously giving that last government contract we'd declined another look.

There was a brief knock and Sara finally entered the room. She looked around, stopping to level her eyes on me a few seconds, and then looked down at Stephanie and the baby. "Carlos, introduce me to your friends."

"This is Stephanie Plum, and the baby is Angel. This is Lula, her friend and Tank's girlfriend."

She looked surprised and looked down at Stephanie again. "Your Carlos's Stephanie?"

I glared at her. "Just Stephanie, and she is from Trenton."

She held her hand out to Stephanie. "Nice to finally meet you. The family has heard much about you for a few years. Mostly through our cousin, Lester Santos."

Stephanie lightly touched her hand, but didn't look up at her. Sara looked at me and raised an eyebrow, and then turned to Lula offering her hand. "Nice to meet you Lula. Tank is a fine man."

Lula shook her hand and beamed. "Yeah he is, but you ain't seen nothin' till you see him without his clothes."

Sara's mouth dropped open and she uttered a weird sound. Like her tongue had tripped on whatever word she'd planned to say next. My lips were twitching as I tried my best not to burst out laughing.

Sara gained her composure quickly, and gave me another one of those looks before she spoke again. "I understand we have a special situation here. I'm going to ignore my official duty as a physician only this one time for the sake of the baby. I want to make clear that you'll need to get this mess straightened out and legal before I'll see her again."

She reached her arms out to take the baby, and Stephanie didn't release her hold on Angel. Lula said, "Stephanie, give her that baby. She already told us the deal. Nobody is takin' that baby away from you today." At that, Stephanie loosened her grip and let Sara take Angel.

I watched as Sara spoke to the baby and laid her on the table unwrapping her. She was dressed in only a diaper. I turned to Lula and she shrugged. "Diapers is expensive, clothes is expensive. She had to make a choice. I lived like that before. You buy the necessities. You got a choice between water and heat? You buy the water. You need that to live. You understand what I'm sayin'?"

Sara turned and looked at her a moment, then went back to examining the baby. She spent a good half hour checking her from head to toe and kept going back to her head. She checked her ears and eyes twice. She turned and smiled and said, "Carlos, can I see you in my office before I speak to Stephanie about the baby? We'll just be a few minutes, ladies." I nodded and followed her.

She shut her office door and pointed to the chair across from her desk, then she sat on the edge and looked down at me and sighed. "Carlos, I think that baby is deaf, and at a glance, Stephanie doesn't look normal herself."

"What? Deaf? You think Stephanie had something to do with that?"

She glowered at me. "No, I'm not implying she's responsible. It could be a birth defect, have happened during gestation, during the birth, or when that poor baby was dumped like trash. A specialist can better determine the cause and possible treatment. What I heard in there is that Stephanie doesn't have the means to care for a baby with an issue like this. Unless you plan to adopt a baby, she has to relinquish it for the good of that child."

Oh Dios mio. Not even a bloody mission will make this go away. I got up and paced the room.

Sara snapped, "Carlos! I don't know what has happened to Stephanie, but she looks like she needs professional care as well. Also, that baby kind of looks like you. Is it possible..."

"No, Sara!" I growled at her. "Prior to finding that baby, she was married to an Italian! I hadn't seen her since right after Bobby..."

Her face changed and she stood, and walked up to me. She put her arms around me, and hugged me, surprising me. Then she said softly, "I know that's still painful territory. Regardless of what you might think, I'm proud of the man you've become. Down deep you have a good heart, and I'm sure that it will lead you in the right direction here."

Direction? Right now, the four winds couldn't help me. They'd all just come together to form a hurricane big enough to tear my well planned and comfortable life apart. I sighed. "Can you help with a specialist?"

* * *

Both women bawled nearly the whole way home. They didn't stop until I made a turn and told them that I was taking them for the best comfort food in Miami. Then they both began to sniffle and dry up a little. I pulled into the parking lot and walked in the door. The hostess spied me and squealed, "Uncle Carlos!"

I couldn't' help but smile. This was Sara's second daughter, Zoe, and she was prodigal, and outspoken, an artist, and my favorite niece. She'd dropped out of college recently to work at her aunt's restaurant until she decided what she really wanted to do, which was mostly have fun. She jumped at me and wrapped her arms around me. "Aunt Ana is going to be so glad to see you!"

Ana Lucia was the sweetest of my sisters. She was the third born to my parents. All of my siblings had left Newark as soon as the opportunity had presented itself. There was nothing much there today for children with hopes and dreams. They all loved Miami because our grandparents had lived here, and we had fond memories of our visits when we were kids. My brother was the first to leave New Jersey after I asked him to manage Miami Rangeman. He'd graduated college with a degree in business and was struggling with mediocre management jobs for a few years. He had adopted it and taken to our business like a true military man. He was now lean, mean and the best branch manager we had.

Sara had ended up at Pittsburgh University which wasn't too shabby. It was like number seven in the country for med schools in pediatrics. She met her husband while there, David, and he's now a dentist here. They both decided to move to Miami to begin their lives and careers. The move had worked out well for both their practices.

Ana Lucia had come to stay with Abuela Rosa while I was in the military, and met her husband, Alonso. His line was pure Cuban, relocated from the mother country. Even had some royal blood in his family tree. He embraced his heritage, and his dream had been to open a Cuban restaurant. He was an excellent cook, and Frank, Sara, and I all had made an investment to get them started. Now, La Havana Mejor, or The Best of Havana, was one of the best Cuban restaurants in Miami.

Then there is my baby sister Celia, who never stays in one place long enough to grow roots. She's more an opportunist than I could ever be guilty of being, uses a guy until she gets bored or his money runs out. Then she moves on to find another sucker. I had no idea in which state she currently lived, but I would find out soon enough when she called for a loan. When she reached twenty thousand, I told her to just call it what it was, a gift.

Zoe disappeared and I turned to Lula and Stephanie. Lula said, "This place belongs to your people, huh? Tank talks about them sometimes. Says they're real nice. What happened to you?"

I was saved from having to acknowledge that question by my sister grabbing my arm and rising up on her toes to kiss my cheek. "Carlos, you live here now and yet I never see you. You have guests with you?"

I smiled and hugged her. "These are two of my friends from Trenton. We came for some comfort food."

She smiled. "That we have plenty of. Follow me."

She led us to a table in the back of the restaurant where she knows I like to sit, and gave us all menus. She rattled off some specials, and I told her speaking in Spanish to just to bring us orders of some of the most popular dishes, and the flan for dessert, my favorite. Alonso's Cuban-style flan was better than Mama's, but I would never utter those words out loud.

I spoke to Lula. "I ordered some of the favorites here for all of us. The food is excellent."

She said, "Sure does smell good, don't it Stephanie? We need to put some meat on my girl. She's just skin and bones. Don't even have no booty no more." A recent memory flashed me and I blanched. I knew very well how thin she was now.

Stephanie didn't say anything. She just rocked Angel, and played with her hair, and little hands as a tear escaped from her eyes now and then. It was clear how much she loved the baby, and couldn't be separated from her now. I had almost made the decision not to tell Stephanie about the baby until the specialist confirmed that she was deaf, and then changed my mind. Sara and I agreed that it might be best to let that news sink in, so that Stephanie would have a chance to think about the responsibility involved with having a baby with special needs. Sara had said that the baby was otherwise healthy, and doing well. She'd given her the immunizations due, and told me she would call me. This situation meant that I would have to make the birth certificate priority number one, and fast.

The food came and Alonso came by the table to say hello. Stephanie had smiled at him and Ana, and did eat well, giving Angel tiny soft bites to nibble. I had to laugh when the flan came, and Stephanie gave her bites of that. She had smiled and her little hands were working like she was excited. There was nothing wrong with the little girl's sense of taste, it was developing very well.

We finished the meal and said goodbye to my family and thanked them. I slipped Zoe a hundred and she squealed and hugged me again. Ana scolded me for spoiling all the kids when I did see them. What she didn't realize was that when I gave them money, they just skipped away happy. That meant peace and quiet, and Uncle Carlos was still the big hero. I sighed and opened the door to head out to the SUV. Until recently, it had been good being me.

I called Betina and dropped the women off at home to go shopping for items needed for the baby. Then I called our Rangeman attorney here in Miami, Dominic Anthony. He answered right away. "Dom, it's Ranger. You in the office?"

"_I just finished lunch. What's up?_"

"I need to see you about something asap, in person."

"_Okay, I don't have court this afternoon, and I can move one appointment. Want me to come to Rangeman or you want to come to my office?_"

"I'm at home now, and closer to your office. I'll meet you there. This is a personal issue anyway."

"_Should be there in less than fifteen, Ranger_."

I disconnected and walked in the kitchen pulling out my wallet to get my credit card. I pulled out my personal American Express black card, and held it out for Betina. Lula's eagle eyes zeroed in on it from a distance, and suddenly her hand was there snatching the titanium card from my hand like a piece of hot crispy chicken, before Betina had as much as blinked.

I made a face and looked at her. "I'll be in charge of this. I know what my girl, and baby Angel needs," she said.

I said, "Lula, it has a limit." I took my hand and leveled it at my forehead. "It's called up to here..."

She just snickered and motioned for the women to follow her out.

TBC -


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for the nice reviews. They have been so sincere and kind, and funny! Sorry I have not had a chance to respond and say hello to all my new readers. Believe me, I know who you are, and I know you're there. Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the story. **

**Are you enjoying the Ranger POV? I think it makes the story very unique for a change. He can't drop that blank face on us now. Ha!**

**Talked to a buddy yesterday who was ready to have Ranger knifed, castrated and disappeared. I reminded her of the premise of this story, and the fact that the baby won't get help if we let Stephanie do that. LOL This is my answer to her.**

Let me ask you a question. Have you not done things that wronged someone, either unintentional or not in your life, that you are ashamed of?

I have. Most people have. Are we bad people at our core? No. Do we deserve redemption? Yeah. Whatever higher power you hold dear, tells us that if we want it, there is hope for us.

You know why? Because we all have our own demons that dog us, and make us do stuff that is unlike us.

There is my message. His sister makes a small point of telling him he's good deep down in the last chapter. You can safely read the rest. He's going to get the brunt of the pain from here on out. In his fine Cuban ass. lol

**Thanks alix33 for having my back and coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation issues. You my girl!**

**Chapter 8**

I was sitting here fidgeting in my chair and waiting for Dominic to speak, and fidget is something that I _never_ do. I'd just gotten finished spilling this whole mess, minus the part where I'd picked Stephanie up, paid her, and stupidly fucked her six ways to Sunday.

He was scratching his head and making faces, and I wanted to reach out and slap him hard across the face, which was the safest of the choices in my mind at the moment. "Dom, this can't be impossible to do. We have how many thousands of illegal immigrants working and living in this country, and some even get government assistance? How do they get the documents they need? Then there is the fact that we have money and resources available to us."

He sighed and said, "Ranger, this is an infant. As many questions will be raised as a murder investigation."

"You're well aware I have government contacts. Maybe..."

"Those won't help you here. This is touchy. Especially, if you were to hint that she wasn't born here. They would question whether she was bought and paid for. You understand what I mean? Babies are a business. Unfortunately, they do come here illegally from all over the world, and it's a hot topic."

"Well, how the hell do those people get documents when they buy a baby?"

"Ranger, this is not my area of expertise, and I'm sure that all of us in your attorney pool are going to sorely disappoint you on this one, but the fact is, there is no easy way to do this legally."

I furrowed my brows. "Well, what's the fucking hard way, Dom? Just bring it already. It's not like I'm not used to being given all the bad news up front on my missions, and told to deal with it or die."

He actually looked like he had a little fear in his eyes before he said, "Ranger, there is only one way that I can think of right now to get the child a birth certificate and social for the baby, and that is legal adoption."

I was losing my patience. "How the fuck can Stephanie manage that? I just explained to you..."

"Not Stephanie, you."

"What?"

"It would have to be you."

"I'm not..."

"Ranger, I'm not finished. You're chances would be even better if you marry her."

The fucker knows I carry a loaded gun. I took a few breaths. "Marry her. If I was dumb enough to even consider that one... Then what the fuck after that?"

"You go to Social Services or Child Protective Services. You tell them the truth about how and where you found her. You become foster parents first, and then you adopt. As long as you have no criminal record and have means, it should be easy."

I growled out. "Dom, not only do I have no criminal record, I have hardly any records. I don't need a low-level agency like this looking up my ass! Not only that, I can't explain this clusterfuck to my handler and superiors!"

"You asked for my help, and I'm telling you the only way I know of that this woman can keep the baby."

I got up and stomped out mumbling over my shoulder that I would be in touch. This was nothing less than a fucking nightmare.

I got in my car and slammed the door and my phone rang. "Report"

"Ranger? You promised you would call. I'm sorry about yesterday."

I groaned. "Aleida, I don't really have time to talk. I have a lot going on."

"Please, baby. I just… I don't care if you don't want to talk. I just want to see you."

I was frustrated, angry, pissed off, and stressed to the max, at this point. I looked down as my groin tightened, and then my jeans became uncomfortable. Maybe what I did need right now was a good fast fuck, and I was going to get far from that at my house.

"I'll be there in thirty minutes. Be ready with cuffs, and gag." I didn't want to talk, I wanted to fuck and relieve a shit-load of stress.

"I'll be ready."

* * *

Aleida was naked, cuffed, and thankfully now was gagged. She'd erupted with a string of fifty questions as soon as I'd walked in the door. Now she was blessedly quiet, and on her knees, ready for me. I was one second from slamming my rock-hard cock into her when my phone vibrated loudly through my pants on the wood floor. I closed my eyes and grabbed Aleida's ass. The second time it buzzed, it bounced out of the pants pocket onto the wood floor. The third time, it travelled, and when I opened my eyes, I was now looking down at it. How the hell can I seriously concentrate on fucking when my phone is chasing me around the room? I growled, released her ass, and reached for the damn thing.

"Report, and quickly!" I snapped.

"It's Lula, and how much faster you think I can talk? What are you doin' anyway? Took you long enough to answer the damn phone."

My dick was already half deflated before she'd even finished her smartass greeting. "Is there something you need from me right now, Lula? You have a credit card with virtually no limit. I would think that should be enough to keep you busy for a while."

"It would have if this bitch didn't start a fight with us at the Babies "R" Us."

I sighed. "That's why you're calling, a fight? How many have you and Stephanie been in before? You can handle that without me."

"Fuck yeah, we can. We're just not in the Babies "R" Us no more."

I was very quickly losing my patience and most of my hard-on."Well, where the hell are you?"

"The police station, and you gotta hurry cuz' I'm about to get the runs. Well, I already did get the runs, but they caught me."

It was obvious the only person that was going to be fucked today, was me, and it wasn't the pleasurable kind. It was the kind that gives you heartburn and gas. I dropped my phone on the bed, pulled my pants on and tucked my dick away. When I was ready to leave, I uncuffed Aleida, and left the gag, making my escape before the whining and questions began again.

Before I pulled out of the lot, I called one of the bail bondsmen that Rangeman did work for and asked for the guy to meet me at the police station.

When I walked into the station, the bondman was already there. Rod turned and looked at me. "Hey Ranger. Two are being released with no charges filed, and the other one is in line to be arraigned."

"Where is the baby?"

"What baby?"

Dammit. "One of the women has a six month old baby. Where is the fucking baby?"

A side door opened and Betina stepped through, half-sniffling and half-cursing in rapid Spanish while waving her arms around. Stephanie walked out next, with her hands over her face sobbing. I sighed and looked at Rod, "What's the charges on the other woman?"

He made a face and looked at me. "Assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, and the big one is carrying concealed with no permit. That was a big ass deadly weapon too. The gun was taken as arrest evidence."

Shit. Lula has no idea what she's in for, but she was about to find out. I got the attention of the desk sergeant as Betina stomped up to me. I put my hand up, "Just a minute, Betina."

"Can I help you, sir," the police sergeant asked.

"Yes, one of these women had a baby with her when she was picked up. Where is the baby?"

"Well, let's see. Let me grab the paperwork." He walked away and came back. "What's the name of the parent arrested?"

"Stephanie Plum, but she wasn't booked, she was released."

"Then there won't be any paperwork."

I slapped the desk. "So what are you saying? The baby has disappeared because you don't have any paperwork?" I gave him the glare that had made more than a few men piss themselves and growled, "Check, and tell me where the baby is, now! You can't just lose an infant."

I turned to Betina. "Did you see what they did with the baby?"

"Another police car came and they took el bebè from Stephanie. Señor Manoso, it was terrible how she screamed for the little thing. And that other woman, such behavior…" She grimaced ,and I totally agreed times many of those.

"I'm sorry Betina, that you were caught in the middle of whatever happened. I'll add some hazard pay to your check for this month."

Then she grinned a little. "This was actually kind of exciting. I've never been arrested before..."

I did a mental eye-roll. How long did it take for Lula to corrupt my housekeeper? Under different circumstances, I might have considered that slightly humorous.

Suddenly a scream erupted in the room and we all turned. Stephanie was wild-eyed, and red-faced. "I want my baby!"

"Babe, we're..."

"I WANT MY BABY!"

The desk sergeant poked his head through the window. "What the hell is that?"

"That is the woman whose baby you lost. Find it please. Now."

"Alright, alright. I'm waiting on a call back," he said as Stephanie screamed she wanted her baby again.

I swear, when Lula gets out of jail, I'm calling Tank to come get her ass out of my hair. We've barely gotten anything accomplished, and even when we do find the baby, it's still going to be fucking naked.

I turned to Betina. "Had you purchased anything yet?"

She said, "No. We had a basket full when the police came."

I pulled out my wallet and another credit card and handed it and my car keys to her. "Would you mind going back to the store and purchasing those items and anything else the baby needs that they didn't get, please?"

She nodded. "No problem. That I can do for you." She headed out the door, and I called the Rangeman office, and asked for whoever was available to bring me a fleet vehicle.

The desk sergeant came back and said, "The officers on the scene couldn't determine if there was a spouse or relative to call for the baby, and the woman was acting peculiar. We have a social services person on call, and another car was called to get the baby and meet this person."

I was fucking pissed now. "You didn't even arrest the woman and you sent her baby to social services?"

"Are you her spouse or the father of the baby?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The 'jump in', and severe beating I'd received as an inductee into the gang when I was a teenager, was not as bad as the mess I found myself jumping into now.

I opened my eyes again and looked at the sergeant, and...lied. "Yes, and I want that baby back now." Stephanie screamed and began sobbing again behind me.

We waited for two hours while Stephanie wailed for Lula to be brought back after her arraignment and be bonded out, and for the social services woman to arrive. She looked me up and down and said succinctly, "There's something wrong with the baby that was brought to me, and my report says the mother was acting odd. Because I have some questions, I've decided that a home visit is warranted under the circumstances before I can return the baby to you."

I leveled my eyes on the bitch and I said coolly, "There is something wrong with the baby, and the mother is grieving because she just found out today that her baby girl is deaf. You will release that baby to me now. You may call her pediatrician, Dr. Sara Torres, to verify this information."

There was a pregnant pause, and then she changed her physical and verbal stance to one more reticent. "I was not told that. I'm sorry of course, for the baby, and family."

"Thank you. We want to take Angel home with us now, please."

"Angel is a beautiful name. She looks like you."

I heard another sob come from Stephanie and turned to glance at her, and then back to the woman. "Yes, thank you, again. Our baby, please."

"I'm...uh, sorry. I won't be able to get her until tomorrow."

I'm going to pull my sidearm and put a bullet in her simple brain. I pointed to Stephanie. "That woman there is grieving and distraught, not only because she found out that her baby was deaf today, but also because she was forcibly taken from her. Now, you dare to tell me that she cannot take her home tonight?"

"She's in an emergency shelter home for the night. I'm sorry."

I glared at her."This woman was not arrested, she just happened to be with a woman that was involved in an argument in a store while shopping for the baby in question. You made that decision without a single sheet of paperwork to back it up, and without having ever laid eyes on or spoken to this woman. No one bothered to call me until all of this had already taken place. My housekeeper was with the women which leads me to believe that no one really tried to find me, so there is negligence involved. You will retrieve her and bring her here or to my home tonight, or I will call my attorney and file a formal complaint against you." I pulled out my phone. "Your decision. My patience is now at an end."

She gulped and said, "Let me step away and make a call sir."

TBC -


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for the nice reviews. I think that I surprised some of you with the humor in the last chapter. I didn't really intend for him to get with his ho and, thought more punishment for him, and a humorous distraction would give you an angst breather. Sorry if it confused you. There is a point being made about Lula's behavior. I know you have tons of questions still, but remember they are just a day into this mess. I didn't plan on a mega story, but this is going to take time to unravel and move to a satisfactory conclusion for all the characters.**

**Thanks Proudofyoubabe for your blurp in your review about child endangerment charges added to Lula's total. That one is a biggie that I missed, but I told her that it was a good one, and I was going to take it, and use it this chapter. Thanks again, chick!**

**See, it's okay if you steal stuff and at least leave a thank you note. Snicker. (And this is why my 14-year-old son says I'm a good mother, but a bad role model.) Hahaha!**

**It is hard trying to write solely from a male POV. They think about different stuff than we do, like sex (all the time), money, aggravations, and play time. They're simple and use less brain than we do. LOL Plus, I find myself backing out Ranger dialogue a lot, and putting it back in his head, because in canon he really doesn't talk that much.**

**I really had a hard time with this chapter. There is so much dialogue and stuff going on for one day. I had a buddy look at it and she edited some on it. Thanks M! Alix33 has been coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation too. Thanks girl!**

**Chapter 9**

I closed my eyes and took another deep breath as the side door opened and I heard her mouth before I even turned to look in that direction. "We gotta get the fuck outta' here, I'm allergic. Already broke out with the hives and shit. I can't hang with the fuzz. Makes me itch." Then I turned just in time to see her scratch her neon and spandex covered backside.

It was then I noticed that I also had an itch, and my hand was currently resting on my weapon. So I reached deep down for any microscopic shred of repose left inside me at this point, because if I didn't find any, Lula would find her itching issue gone and a new one in its place. Another hole next to the one she already has.

I asked her, "Do you know where my Cayenne is, Lula? Is it still at the store or did they impound it?"

"Still at the store as far as I know. Let's bounce. I'm stressed and I gotta eat."

"We can't leave, Lula. Your immaturity and irresponsibility caused them to take the baby."

"Oh. ...Wait a damn minute here." She put her hands on her hips and struck a pose. "What did you say? I'm what?"

"You heard me right. I said you were irresponsible. It's the same shit you and Stephanie used to get into bounty hunting together. Recklessly shooting off your mouth and your gun. The only reason you were never arrested was because she was fucking Morelli, and Juniak is her godfather. Last, you had _my_ influence..."

She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. "I don't think Tank would like to hear you talkin' like that about me, and you got no room to be callin' anybody names, bat fucker."

I said bitingly, "Tank doesn't know you were waving your gun around and just got arrested for carrying concealed without a permit in the state of Florida which carries a third degree felony penalty. Let me translate that for you in case you didn't understand the judge. That could mean five years in prison, or five years of probation, or five thousand dollars, and if the judge is in a bad mood the day of your sentencing, you could get all three. Did I explain that clear enough for you to understand?"

We heard a growling like noise and turned. Stephanie slowly rose to her feet, her eyes wild. "Shut up! Just shut up, both of you! I want my Angel back, and then I want to go back home. All both of you have done is make everything worse!"

That was the first time Stephanie had spoken since arriving in Miami. I looked at Lula, and finally saw a reasonable reaction in her. She'd paled and then she gulped. "I think I might want to go home too, white girl."

"That's the bad news for both of us, Lula. Unless I can get these charges dropped, you can't." Then I spoke to Stephanie. "Babe, I'm trying. You can't in good conscience go back and take that baby knowing she has special needs, and you don't have the means to care for her. You stay and keep her, or you go and give her up. Unfortunately, there is no easy choice for you here." Fuck, there was no easy choice for me either here.

Stephanie began to sob again, and I stepped away and called Betina. "Betina, did you see my Cayenne in the parking lot there at the store?"

"No, come to think of it, I didn't."

"Fuck me!"

"Perdón? Señor Manoso, are you talking to me?"

"Yes. No, I'm sorry, I'm talking to myself. Thank you, Betina. Don't worry about dinner tonight. Just drop off the purchases and then you can go on home."

I heard another voice behind me as I disconnected. "Mr…?"

I turned. "It's Manoso."

"I'm going to get the baby. Where will you be in an hour?"

I said, "I would like to be home. Can you bring her there please?"

"Certainly. Just give me the address." I gave it to her and turned to the desk to take care of one more thing so we could finally go.

I got the desk sergeants' attention again. "Can you tell me where my car, a Porsche Cayenne was towed from the Babies "R" Us store when this arrest took place?"

"Need the name of the accused who was arrested."

I turned a glare on Lula. "Tallulah Jackson."

He came back in a minute. "It's at the main impound lot located on NW 7th Street. They close at four in the afternoon though. Sorry."

I looked at my watch. It was now 1700 hours. I wouldn't have expected anything less today. I told Lula to get Stephanie and we headed to the Rangeman SUV that had been dropped off for us. My next call was to Dom, again. I gave him Lula's name and the arrest information to begin the task of trying to make at least this arrest mess go away.

Last order of business this day before I called Tank. I looked in the rearview mirror, "My credit card please, Lula." She made a face and flipped me off like I didn't see it. Then made a production of digging through the bag with her personal items they'd given back to her on the way out. Eventually, she slapped the card in my hand over the headrest.

When we got back to the house, Betina was still there. She was in the kitchen preparing a salad and making sandwiches. She looked at me and smiled. "I called my husband. I told him you needed my help a little more tonight. He's a big boy and can cope. I'll stay for a little while longer to help you."

I sighed. "I appreciate that very much. Your husband is a good man."

The social worker arrived with Angel while we were eating. Stephanie ran into the foyer and retrieved her, then disappeared just as quickly. The social worker stared at her back with an odd expression. I decided it was time to make nice with her in case we needed her in the future, and invited her in. She introduced herself as Sylvia Martin. "Ms. Martin, have you had time to have a meal? We're just having a casual one, but you're welcome to join us."

"Actually, I haven't. Thank you. You have a beautiful home here."

"Thank you and I appreciate your bringing Angel. Come into the kitchen, we're just having salad and sandwiches."

Betina spoke to her and gave her a plate, and asked her about a choice of drink. When she was settled and began eating, she asked, "Do you mind me asking how this all happened today?"

I glanced over at Lula. "I haven't yet heard the whole story myself. The two women and my housekeeper here, Betina, had gone to shop for some items for Angel. I think there was some kind of altercation between our out of town visitor, Lula here, and another shopper."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why couldn't the store handle it? Why did they call the police?"

Lula swallowed a bite and said, "The altercation part was when I was forced to pull my gun outta' my purse and tell her to remove her hands from our merchandise, and back up before I busted a cap in her ass."

Sylvia looked even more perplexed. "You pulled a gun on someone over store merchandise?"

"It wasn't just that. It started in the parking lot when she wanted our parking spot. A space is mine when I first lay eyes on it. Bitch threw a hissy fit, and followed us in the store cussin' at us. Good thing Angel couldn't hear all she said. She followed us around grabbin' at the same stuff we was. There was only one badass stroller left like we wanted and she ran up and grabbed the box. That's when I'd had enough."

I cleared my throat. "Lula here, is from Trenton, New Jersey. She doesn't realize that in Miami we have an abundance of parking spaces and stores to choose from."

Sylvia looked at Lula. "Were you booked for endangering the welfare of a minor?"

Lula cocked her head thinking about it. I did my mental eye-roll and said, "No. The worst was carrying concealed without a permit."

Sylvia leveled her eyes on Lula and said, "You should have been. There were probably more children in that store. It is incredibly wrong and irresponsible to flippantly wave a handgun around in a public place. If an off-duty policeman had been around, do you realize that you could have lost your life? I would think such behavior shouldn't be appropriate or allowed in any state."

Lula's mouth flew open to speak, and surprisingly, nothing came out. Sylvia continued. "Even though no harm came to the baby, you would have been charged, and it typically is a felony charge because Florida law takes any abuse or endangerment to children very seriously. Even if the charges were bargained down to a misdemeanor by an attorney, your sentence would be at least one year in the county jail. Does that make clear to you the seriousness of what you did?"

Sylvia looked over at me and pushed her plate back. "I'm sorry Mr. Manoso, if I've spoiled your meal. I take this kind of behavior and disregard very seriously. I think I should go. Good luck to you with the charges, Ms. Lula."

I glanced at Lula and got up to walk Sylvia to the door. "Do you have a card, Ms. Martin?"

She kind of laughed. "I certainly hope that we don't meet again under these circumstances, Mr. Manoso."

I gave her one of my smiles, Stephanie used to call the 200-watt smile. "You never know what surprises life can drop on your doorstep. Right?"

I went to my study and called Tank. "El socio, how goes it?"

"A part of me wishes I'd never passed that corner at that moment, and stopped. Everything is a fucking mess, and Lula is not helping. I want to send her home, but she's going to have to come back. She got arrested today."

There was silence on the line a moment. "For what?"

"Same old shit, Tank. She pulled out that big fucking gun and waved it around in a public place. She just got her ass chewed by a social worker and she deserved it. Do you realize that it could have been Lula that shot one of us one of those times with Stephanie, pulling that gun, and carelessly shooting at everything in sight. She's still bounty hunting sometimes, and you still run when she calls for help. I worry about your safety, man. Hindsight is a bitch, and we were wrong to protect them the way we did."

"What's her charges?"

"She got assault, resisting, carrying concealed without a permit. She didn't get endangering a minor. Still, no permit means third degree felony here."

"Fuck! What have you done so far?"

"I called Dom. He's going to try to pull strings to get the charges dropped and make this go away. We don't have the PD connections and relationship here that we do in Trenton. We can't make evidence disappear."

"Man, I don't know if Stephanie will stay without Lula. How's she doin'?"

"Not good. She's barely spoken since she got on the plane till today. We took the baby she named Angel to see Sara this morning. Tank, Sara thinks she's deaf."

"Aww, no."

"Here is the rest of the bad news. We can't get her treated until we've got the public records straightened out. We need a birth certificate to start. Dom says it's almost impossible to do it other than the legal way."

"What did he suggest?"

"Adoption."

"She ain't able to… Aww fuck..."

"Yeah, fuck me. The man's got balls. Then he suggested that I marry her."

I heard a choking nose. "You're fucking kidding?"

"Is that something that I would joke about, Tank? I'd rather be naked, running zigzags in the desert, dodging a shit-load of bullets and being chased by Al-Qaeda on camels."

"Man, you need help. I talked to Santos, and I'll call him again. This sitch' has moved to Defcon level urgent. Sorry, but you need Lula for a couple more days. Go get her and put her on speaker."

I retrieved Lula who was back to eating everything left on the table, and now was blubbering at the same time. I told her to follow me that Tank was on the phone, then hit the speaker button. She snuffled and blew her nose loudly. "Hey, babycakes..." I raised an eyebrow.

"Lula, I'm disappointed in you, girl. Did you not learn a damn thing after Bobby died and after Stephanie's whole ordeal? I thought this kind of shit was over and done with."

Lula boohooed even louder. "I'm sorry I let you down, sugarbooger. I let Stephanie down too. They gon' put me in jail and Ima' be somebody elses sugartits." Aww, man. Come on...

"Stop cryin' Lula Belle. Ranger's workin' on it. You gotta behave while you're there and help Stephanie and Ranger."

"I promise I'll do better. I love you Tankie bear..."

"We gonna have a long talk when you get home, baby girl."

That was...disturbing, hermano. I was thinking about taking a long hot shower, and jerking off before bed. Not happening now… Thanks for nothing, pal. Sigh.

TBC -


	10. Chapter 10

******Great reviews! You guys are shooting me questions honestly, faster than I can write. We're going to see the great man in black laid open a little in this chapter.**

******Alix33 has been coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation. Thanks girl!**

**Chapter 10**

Before Betina had left, she had reminded me that there were a few items in my Mercedes that needed to be put together the next day. I thanked her and told her that I would take care of it or call a couple of my men over to do it.

I looked in the room that I'd told Betina to set up as a nursery before bed, and it was mostly empty. So I knocked on Stephanie's door right next to it. "Stephanie, I just wanted to check on you and Angel."

I heard footsteps and she surprised me and opened the door. She was holding Angel and the room was scattered with shopping bags and a box or two containing some of the new baby items. "Babe, I'll set up the crib and other stuff up next door tomorrow. You can use that room as a nursery. How is Angel"

"No, thank you. We'll stay in this room, but we would rather go back to New jersey."

"Stephanie, there is no future there for either of you, and you know that. You could barely protect yourself, and how much longer before that pimp got to you through her? Did Lula's behavior today not remind you again that there are consequences when you make a bad decision? How were you going to handle the news that she may be deaf, denial?"

She kissed the top of Angel's head as tears spilled from her eyes. "I...I know that you're right. She's just...she's all I have, and I'm afraid that if I stay, I'm going to lose her. I couldn't handle the..."

I didn't know what all she'd been through, and I felt sympathy for her. "Stephanie, I'm trying to work things out where you can keep her, and help you get back on your feet. You want to find out about this hearing loss, and if there's something that can be done about it, then do what's necessary."

"Why are you helping me? I thought you hated me now?"

"I've been disappointed and angry with you for a long time, but I've never hated you."

She averted her eyes, and her lips began to quiver. Then the conversation was suddenly over. "We're tired now. Goodnight." She closed the door.

* * *

I was exhausted, but as hard as I tried, sleep wouldn't come. I got up and went downstairs to pour myself a stiff drink, and went out on the deck to sit and think. This mess had stirred up more than just the problems with Stephanie and the baby she'd found.

The last time that I'd given my future serious thought was before Bobby was killed. I'd had an idea and a dream of a future, and it hadn't been a future alone. I had ironically, wanted it to be with Stephanie. The hardest thing I ever did in my life was send her back to Morelli after I made that deal. It was fucked up, and the idea that I would sleep with her guilt-free and just get her out of my system had backfired. I had made love to her, woke up confused, and ready to run. I knew I wanted her, but at that time I was in no way ready for a relationship, and my life was a dangerous mess.

Then later, maybe my biggest mistake had been focusing on trying to keep her within my grasp, rather than doing the right thing for both of us or, the right thing for her.

The only person that I had ever voiced my thoughts for the future had been with Bobby. During a physical exam, he had expressed concern for me over the missions. I was almost thirty-four years old and my war wounds and injuries were already giving me hell certain times of the year. The last time I'd been in the jungle, I'd suffered the last days of the mission. Eventually, for the pain, and my safety, he'd begun giving me steroid injections before leaving on the missions.

Bobby wanted me to give them up. He'd said, "Ranger, Rangeman is a successful company, you're a rich man, you've had a successful military career. Hell, you're a military legend, but don't you think that Uncle Sam can find a new hero now. You need a new goal for your future. One that won't end your life."

I'd grinned at him and jokingly said, "The one I'm thinking of, could likely still do that. Tank does call her Bomber, and she _is_ dangerous as hell."

He'd laughed. "I knew it, man. As much as you try to deny it, I knew you'd got with her. So, when are you going to make your official move? That Morelli thing is never going to go anywhere, and you know why? I think she's been waiting for you all along."

I'd shrugged. "I want her to make a decision about him, and stick with it. I had hoped that would happen after Scrog, it didn't. I gave up hoping Morelli would just fuck up and move on. So, I've been waiting for the right opportunity to present itself again, then maybe..."

I guess I'd been vain, but I'd planted the seeds, and invested, and felt confident that she would eventually choose and come to me. The opportunity that I'd been waiting for had presented itself not long after that conversation. As soon as I'd gotten that call from Hawaii, I had moved. The confrontation with Morelli, and the injuries had been worth it. But when we'd come home, it didn't take long for her to go right back to him. I had been angry, and for the first time, hurt, and I didn't like that feeling. That was when I knew that it was time to change my future plans.

Contrary to what she'd always believed, I don't have ESP. In that closet after we'd returned, in the dark, I had made love to her and sent her a message straight from the heart. I loved her, I wanted her, and she was the only one that had ever owned my heart. She was the only woman that I'd ever made love to. I'm a sexually sick man, and my appetites before and after her are proof. I had never felt anything, but total satisfaction and fulfilment with her.

I haven't felt that since.

Finishing my drink, I shook the remnants of those uncomfortable feelings away again, leaving behind only the cobwebs in the dark shadows of that now empty space. Then headed back up the stairs to my room. When I reached the bedroom, then the bed, I closed my eyes and grabbed the bedpost as a flash of memory hit me, and shot straight to my groin. I shrugged down my lounge pants, and grabbing my cock. Dammit. Those memories still affected me. Why did I allow myself to visit that place again?

The past was safely tucked away when I woke the next morning, and I felt much more in control. I went for a morning jog to finish clearing my head, and then to my office before showering. I called my Miami document genius, Rodriguez, and told him to get Hector, my Trenton tech man. When they were both on the line, I told them about the situation with Angel. I didn't tell them all of the details, just the circumstances under which she was found and I would soon be guardian to the baby. I asked them if it was possible to procure a birth certificate for her. When I was finished, Hector was the first to speak, "Bien, jefe. Podemos hablar y te llamo?"

I said, "Yeah, you can discuss it, and call me back."

I then called Frank. He said, "Hermanito, I'm getting used to your slinking around the building. Where have you been?"

"I've been dealing with a personal problem, and I don't slink, fucker."

He laughed. "The hell you don't. You scare the shit out of the new guys. This have to do with your call to Grace?"

"Yeah, I need a couple of guys over here that are discreet. Who would you recommend?"

He smirked. "Me..."

"Then get your ass over here."

"I'll be there after the morning meeting."

* * *

Frank shook his head. "I thought Grace was up to something, and fucking with me when she told me about your call."

I glowered at him. "I wish I had so little to be concerned with. I would like to go back to the life I had a week ago."

He grinned, "But this is Stephanie. You have feelings for this woman."

"A long time ago, I may have." I hadn't told him everything. All my family knew was hearsay from Lester. Even he didn't know the whole truth about our relationship. _Relationship_, I thought, what a private joke. We'd pretty much had one since the day we'd met.

We had assembled the crib and were now working in the changing table. He asked, "So, are you seriously thinking about adopting the baby?"

"To help Stephanie keep the baby, I'll have to become the child's legal guardian. At least on paper."

"You said that Stephanie has some mental issues now. You sure that you want to tie yourself to her like this?"

"Frank, I can't just put her out on the street again. Not even her family has done much to help her, and she's quit talking to everyone she knows. She'll get help, get better, and I'll help her with a new start. I'll just be the backup guardian. I have means, I don't mind doing this for a child with special needs."

"A guardianship is a lifetime commitment..."

"I'm aware of that. I'll just be there for her if she needs me, like with Julie."

My phone buzzed and I looked at the display. "Report, Rod. Anything?"

Rodriguez said, "Ranger, we can give the baby an identity. That's easy, but she won't be Angel Plum or Manoso. You'll still have the legal guardian issue. The parents' name on the birth certificate won't be yours. There is such a thing as a delayed birth registration. You would have to apply and either get a midwife to swear she was present for the birth or go to court, and prove the mother was mentally ill and gave birth at home. Problem is, they would likely order a paternity test."

Damn. I sighed. "Alright. Thanks, Rod."

"Yeah, boss. Let us know if there's anything else we can check for you."

Frank was looking at me. I kicked a box across the room. "I have six fucking aliases, and I can't get just one birth certificate for one little person."

Frank smiled and clapped me on the back. "Carlos, you'll make the right decision, and when you do, your family will be here to support you."

Not long after Frank left, Grace called to let me know she'd made an appointment with the two doctors' for Stephanie. One was a cancellation she'd acquired this afternoon. Stephanie wasn't going to like it, but I wanted to be present for the appointment.

She had been in the living room with Angel and Lula while we were in her room working. I asked Stephanie to come into my home office, and when Lula stood, I shook my head. "Stephanie, leave Angel with Lula. I need to talk to you in private for a few minutes."

Lula said, "Go ahead, girl. I got this." Then she reached her arms out for Angel.

Stephanie reluctantly handed her Angel and walked into my office. I shut the door behind her and told her to have a seat, and then took a seat next to her rather than in my desk chair. I looked at her and said, "Babe, I was worried about your health as well as the baby. I asked my sister-in-law to make a couple of doctor appointments for you. One is this afternoon."

She looked horrified. "Does she know..."

I shook my head. "No. I just told her you'd been struggling for a while and haven't seen a doctor."

"Oh."

"This doctor is a gynecologist. I know you, and I'm concerned that you won't be honest with her about your recent lifestyle. I wanted to talk to you and go in with you, but I didn't want you to be upset about it when we get there."

She looked even more horrified. "No."

"Stephanie, I'm sure that you tried your best to stay safe, but I'm aware that there may have been a time that you didn't have a choice or the control at some time. I want you to be tested for everything for your peace of mind."

She lowered her head and I saw a single drop of liquid hit the wood floor. "I want to be there for support, not to humiliate you. Don't you want to know that you're healthy, and have a clear and clean slate for Angel?"

There was a little sob and she said, "Yes."

"Then you'll hold my hand and let the doctor do her job, and thoroughly. I know every inch of you. There is no reason to be shy or ashamed with me."

"She snuffled. "That's so easy for men to say. Again, I don't have a choice."

I said, "Not today, but you had plenty of choices, and the power in the past to make your own decisions. You just didn't choose wisely."

TBC -


	11. Chapter 11

**Great reviews! Great insights and questions. You guys are very sharp. I love the comments.**

**One reader said, two steps forward and one back at the end, this is true. Lots of raw feelings being revealed. A few of you didn't like the fact that Ranger wanted to go in with her to see the doctor. This chapter will explain his thinking. He's about to make a huge investment in her life, and Lula has proved herself to be mostly a pain-in-the-butt so far. His parting comment was therapy fodder, and totally up for argument. LOL**

**This chapter is a bit crude for our sensibilities at the end, but again, we're inside the male mind. These are two, hard, military men conversing. One reader gal, carrotmusic (love you girl), mentioned feeling like a fly on the wall, and I thought that was an excellent way to describe being present during this train wreck these characters are in at the moment.**

**Note - Glossary for the military jargon at the end of the chapter.**

**Alix33 has been coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation. Thanks girl!**

**Chapter 11**

There was nothing more that I could say to Stephanie right now to convince her of my sincerity. I didn't trust Lula at the moment, so I moved to making the unemotional and methodical decisions that had not so far, failed me in the past.

Stephanie was not talking, nor making rational decisions. Even in the past, she had proven herself as the queen of denial. It was doubtful that she would be honest with the doctor about her recent lifestyle. I was about to make the biggest investment of my life, for that matter, her life. I wanted to know that she was disease free, and at least mentally sound enough to take on the responsibility of adopting a child with special needs.

Hell, I wondered if I could even be considered sane for taking this on?

On the way to the appointment, Lula spoke. "So, little white girl told me that you plannin' to go in that room with her. You gonna humiliate her in front of that doctor?"

I looked in the rearview mirror. "Not my intention. Let me make something clear to you, Lula. It's going to take a village and a shit-load of money to help this baby she illegally adopted. If you don't know the people in the village, and you don't have the shit-load of money, check your mouth, stay out of trouble, and try to be supportive. Please."

She had at first looked surprised, and then harrumphed, sitting back in the seat, and crossing her arms. Then she mumbled something about telling Tankie I was rude to her. Right now, I could give-a-shit less. I could probably better manage without her even being here.

* * *

Lula held the baby, and I did go in with Stephanie and introduced myself as her companion. Stephanie had done exactly as I'd expected, didn't acknowledge that I was there, and had not been honest in answering the doctor's questions about her sexual activity. I was forced to tell the doctor that she'd had unprotected sex and needed to be tested for _all_ sexually transmitted diseases. She had of course shed tears.

The doctor had just nodded and commenced to do the testing and take the necessary samples before, and during her exam. A half an hour later the doctor came back in the room with the news that Stephanie had tested positive for chlamydia. She asked if we'd had unprotected sex and I told her no, but would like to be screened. Within in an hour we were leaving and Stephanie had the necessary antibiotics to clear up her problem. She _was_ humiliated, but it hadn't been my doing. I rested my case. I'd done the right thing for both of us.

When I pulled into my drive, there was a Camaro convertible sitting in the circle near the front door. I pulled into the garage, and we entered through the pantry and kitchen. Sipping a cocktail in the living room was Lester. I hadn't seen my cousin in a long while. We talked, but it was mostly business, including the conference calls for our meetings. He was still tall, lanky, and muscular, but much thinner. He wasn't as tanned, like he didn't get outdoors much. The most drastic change in him was in his face. He had aged. Instead of the signature cocky grin, he wore a more mature smile, there were lines in the corners of his eyes now, and he wore a suit instead of his casual jeans and boots.

I walked over to him and hugged him. Tank and I both missed Lester. He was looking over my shoulder when I let him go, and I turned. Stephanie was standing there in the kitchen doorway like a deer in headlights. She had tears swimming in her eyes, and was shaking. Lester finally smiled at her, and held up one hand, as in a peaceful greeting.

She hurried up the stairs with Angel, and Lula came over to say hello to Lester. "Damn you sure do look different. You went and gone all 'GQ' on us. How you doin' Lester Santos?"

He smiled at her and gave her a hug. "I'm doing pretty good, Lula. You taking care of Tank?"

"Yeah, I just wish he didn't like pussy so much. He sends me out to get tortured once a week and I still feel like the last one in line to get me some Tankie lovin' sometimes. You know what I mean?"

Lester's eyebrows quirked up, and I could tell he was half confused, and half amused. I mouthed, _the cats_, to him when he looked over at me.

He burst out laughing. "Damn, Lula. I forgot about the cats and I didn't know what the hell you were talking about at first."

She smiled and said, "Oh hell no, I ain't talkin' about no other women. I have to get shots now every week so we can all live together. Ain't that a bitch?"

He said, "Well, you found a way to live together. Shouldn't be much of a sacrifice if you're all happy now."

"We're happy. We like our new house. You need to come stay with us a few days. We got two nice guest rooms, and he misses you."

Lester smiled. "Yeah, I miss all the Trenton guys. I'm about ready to make a move again."

My phone vibrated and I reached in my pocket and looked at the display. I whispered, "Fuck," then touched the button to answer.

"_Baby, what is going on? Are those women still there? I've been patient, you owe me some kind of explanation. I miss you and want to see you._"

I glanced over at Lester and gave him our old hand sign for, _want to get laid?_ He just kind of shrugged and nodded. "Aleida, I have another guest right now, but I'll bring him, and we'll come over after we have dinner. Do you understand me?"

"_What does he look like?_"

Not surprised at her superficial question. "Like me."

"_I'll be ready. Bye, lover._"

I said to Lula, "Betina has already made your dinner. You and Stephanie can eat outside by the pool if you want. Watch a movie, and enjoy your night. I haven't seen Lester in a while, and we're going out."

She made a face. "Mmm, hmm. I heard, I know where you takin' him. You know what? I'm curious, did you keep one of them ho's back in Trenton? Cuz' if you did, you was a lot more discreet about it than you are now."

I said, "That would be my business, Lula. I never had any commitments in Trenton."

"I know you got with my girl, and you was pawin' her all the time. Me and Connie saw you."

Dammit, this woman. She's like this fucking little guilt character I've heard about in jest that sits on your shoulder putting doubts in your mind. "Stephanie, was in a relationship with Morelli, not me."

"Mmm,hmm. You keep tellin' yo'self that, don't you?"

I said to Lester, "Let's go, primo."

We hopped in my Porsche Carrera Convertible and took off. I looked at Les. "La Havana?"

"Yeah, man. That sounds really good."

We were finishing our meal with some of Alonso's flan and drinking coffee. Lester asked, "So what is going on with you and Lula?"

I snorted. "Lula is a pain in my ass. Just the same as she was off and on in Trenton. The woman hasn't changed much at all. I'm still surprised as hell that Tank took her back."

He shrugged. "I think it was the grief at first. He was alone, remember? If she gave him comfort, then I'm glad she was there."

I guess your right. "He tell you about her getting arrested down here?"

"Yeah. She pulled her gun in a baby store? That's pretty fucked up, and he's really upset about it. Says she's getting a couple strong ultimatums or the relationship is really over this time. If she knew that, she probably wouldn't want to go home."

"Good for him."

"So what's the deal? You keeping a woman down here?"

"Yeah. We have an understanding, my needs are met, it's convenient, guilt free, no strings. The way I like it."

"Believe me, I get that. I have a similar arrangement now. So tell me, what the hell you're doing with Stephanie here now, and with this baby she supposedly picked up off the street? That whole thing just sounds off to me."

"I messed up. Call it a temporary moment of insanity, PTSD, whatever you want. I was angry when I saw her hooking on that corner. I picked her ass up and fucked the anger out of my system. Two years worth of built up shit. The problem is, I did her damage. I didn't know she was already mentally unstable." I swiped my hand down my face. "Now I have to pay..."

He sighed. "You think you're responsible for her mental problems now? That's bullshit. I feel bad for her, I do. However, she was always '404' when it came to culpability. She stayed on that TARFU road, no matter how many times she got hurt or somebody else got hurt. I noticed when you decided you were the mop-up and it was time to pull out, and I'm not the only one. You figured out that the situation with her was always going to be jacked-up. It was unsat for you and always would be. It was no longer worth the wait. Bob and I saw the changes after Hawaii."

I looked at him and smiled. "And I always thought you were just an ass-clown."

He laughed. "I was Dilberted, man. Seriously, before we found out about Bobby, I wanted that Ranger grave to be hers, and her lying in that fucking gutter, tits-up, instead of my best friend and partner."

"I know how angry you were. I didn't realize how angry I was, not until I laid into her that day. You two nebbies were right. It was after Hawaii that I got the BFO."

He chuckled. "I miss Bob so much, man. He used to crack me up. He would say stuff like, _Stephanie Plum, equals, more beans, bullets and band-aids_. And he'd say, _I'm having a deja moo_, every time he heard her say the words, _it wasn't my fault._ I asked him what he was doing one time when he was reading, and he answered, _studying for Ranger's rectal cranial inversion_."

I burst out laughing. "Fucker… I miss the hell out of that guy too. What do you say we go _pump and dump_ for old times sake."

"Oh hell yeah, I could definitely dump some shit."

An hour later, Lester grinned at me and asked, "Shall we go in balls to nutsack or nut to butt?"

I grinned back at him. "Don't matter to me. Ranger lead the way..."

TBC -

404 - Someone who is clueless. Like the web message "404 not found."

Ass Clown - A leader who demonstrates comedy to effectively wow the seniors to believe he actually has operational knowledge of the task at hand. In actuality, he has no clue and truly doesn't understand the training criteria.

Balls to Nutsack - Describes troops cramped together closely.

BFO - Blinding flash of the obvious.

Deja Moo - The feeling you've heard this bullshit before.

Dilberted - To be exploited and oppressed by your boss.

Jacked-Up - Screwed up, ruined, in trouble.

Mop Up - A term for the actions occurring just after you discover you are actually on the objective, in the enemy's fire sack, that implies a willingness to expose oneself to lethal fires.

More beans, bullets and band-aids - Meaning stocking up is going to be necessary.

Nut to Butt - A phrase to tell Soldiers or Sailors to tighten-up a single file line, generally used in Basic Training

Pop Smoke - Call for extraction. Alternately to leave work or complete an period of service.

Pump and Dump - Have sex.

Ranger Grave - Slang, slightly pejorative term for a hasty fighting position, so named because it is barely deep enough for an individual to lie prone in.

Rectal Cranial Inversion - To have one's head up one's ass. Also "Cranial Rectosis."

Tits-Up - To be dead, lying on your back with your chest facing skyward, hence Tits-Up.

Unsat Situation - Unsatisfactory.


	12. Chapter 12

**Great reviews! Great insights and questions. You guys are very sharp. I love the comments.**

**Put your castration knives away, and check the tunnel vision, chicks. It's only been two days. Can't build a bridge in that time or soften a heart. LOL**

**The last chapter was crass guy stuff, but fun for me to write. ****I'm an equal opportunity Plumfic abuser. I've been angry with all of them. This one, I'm kind of leaning the sympathy more toward Ranger. He does**** remember some very important things where she is concerned this chapter...**

**Alix33 is still coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation. Thanks girl!**

**Chapter 12**

Lester and I went for a run before breakfast. It was a relief having him here now. We both agreed that the hardest thing to get used to this last two years, was not just our broken brotherhood, but not having our partners around. It was like being half-dressed for battle, two knives and no gun. After so many years together, it was an uncomfortable, and insecure feeling at first.

I had checked my emails, and Tank had left word that I had some Rangeman business that needed my immediate attention. I was getting behind on my paperwork anyway. Heading to my home office, I wanted to make one important call before I began working. We had some psychologists on retainer for all our Rangeman offices. They specialized mostly in stress and traumatic related illnesses. I wanted to get a recommendation for someone for Stephanie to begin treatment with.

Sara called before I had a chance to dial our Miami psych guy. "Sara…?"

"Carlos, I contacted an associate about the baby. He's an ear, nose and throat specialist. How is the documentation issue going?"

"Slow. It's going to go much slower that I thought. Isn't the social and all that just mainly for insurance purposes? We'll pay him cash. This is just a preliminary examination, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"Dammit, Sara. I've been told that I may have to become the guardian, and I may even have to marry her to help this baby. Then try to explain to Child Protective Services how this whole _clusterfuck _happened. This is a government agency we're talking about. How many months is your guess before the whole mess is straightened out, and we get a birth certificate? Six months? A year, two years? Realistically, how long do you think we'll have to wait to get this baby the care it needs?"

She sighed. "Okay, I get it. Let me talk to him. I'll get back to you."

"Thank you. I appreciate your help with this."

I called the number for Derek Sacks, our Miami psych guy, and told his secretary that I needed to talk to him about a recommendation for a female friend. Ten minutes later, I got a call back from him. "How are you Ranger?"

"Good. You got my message?"

"Yes I did. What kind of problems is she having?"

"She's been through some traumatic life changes, and eventually ended up in a desperate situation the past year. She'd been prostituting for five months when I found her."

"I see, sad. One of my associates here would fit her case. Might be easier for her to talk to a woman, and she's very good. Her name is Joan Ortiz."

"Could you have her secretary call me, please. I want to get this therapy started as soon as possible. There are some other issues going on with her as well. She'll need the support."

"I'll transfer you over right now, Ranger. Hang on a minute."

I waited a minute and then a woman came on. "Hello, Mr. Manoso? I'm Eva, Dr. Ortiz's assistant. We can get your friend in tomorrow morning at 9:00 am. Would that work for you?"

"Yes, fine."

"Her name, please?"

"Stephanie Plum."

"Thank you. We'll see her then."

I sat down at my desk and started through my paperwork. Tank had forwarded me an email marked urgent and when I read it, I cursed. It wasn't bad news, it was badly timed news. I opened the door and called for Lester, then forwarded him the email.

He walked into the room. "What's up?"

"I just forwarded you an email. Read it. Tell me if you remember that guy."

He grinned. "Yeah, he's that MI-6 guy we met on that mission in Somalia a few years back. What's the story with this?"

"He contacted me months ago. He retired from MI-6, and started a security company similar to Rangeman. His company was doing well, then he started losing contracts to this bigger company in Spain, and that company is huge. They do security all over the world."

"You mean all the battlegrounds, and shit holes in the world."

"Yeah. Fenton doesn't want to compete in that arena. Too fucking dangerous, said he retired so he wouldn't have to go back to those places. I get that. He thinks the only way that he can compete with this company is to get bigger and fast. Said he'd heard good things about Rangeman, and we do similar security work. He wanted to know if we'd thought about expanding overseas, and maybe interested in a merger. At the time, he was in the middle of some big jobs and expanding. Now he's ready to talk business."

He shrugged. "I vote yes, as far as taking a serious look at them."

"I agree. The timing is just bad. He wants to meet soon, in the U.K. I can't leave until I get this problem with Stephanie and the baby moving in the right direction."

He made a face. "Don't fall back into bad habits, man. You put her before the good of this company for years. Look what happened, the cop still got the girl, and my best friend got dead."

I understood his point and his pain, but I still said, "Check it, Lester..."

He stood and leaned over the desk. "No, I won't. I own part of this company too, and with Bobby gone, it's pretty much my life now. She is _not_ going to come before Rangeman again, ever. You weren't even supposed to stay in Trenton. This was meant to be our home office. The year and a half before Bobby died, every mission you went on was because of her. Every fucking time something didn't go your way with her, you called and asked for a mission. Every time, but one. Yeah, we knew. Rangeman didn't need the money by then, we needed you. You should have quit when we did, and focused on the company. Instead, you chased her dumb, reckless, irresponsible ass all over Trenton like she was a bitch in heat. Somebody else's bitch, I might add."

"Santos, I'm warning..."

He growled, "I'm not fucking finished yet. You used and wasted company resources on her for almost three years. Do you want a dollar figure? I have it. Last, you put men at risk. For that piece of tail that didn't...choose...you… I hope that little taste of pussy you did get was worth hurting a bunch of our men, and sacrificing your friend's life."

Before he finished I was blind with rage. I was up and flying over the desk so fast. I punched him while I was still in the air, and followed him to the floor. A side table toppled over and a vase crashed, shattering and sprinkling our faces with tiny shards. We were both growling, he had me by the throat, and I had him in a headlock squeezing. We were almost immediately at a stalemate.

I was almost out of breath when a sudden deluge of cold liquid hit me in the face, shocking me. Then I heard a voice, "What the fuck is goin' on? You supposed to be good friends, and kin to boot. Why are you in here tryin' to kill each other? At least go outside and stop breakin' this nice shit you got in here."

I let go of Lester. His face was blood-red with anger, and his lip was split and bleeding. Dammit. I said, "Lula, give us a few minutes please."

I slowly stood up and held out my hand to Lester. He looked at it a few seconds before taking it. When he was standing, I said, "Lester, there are a couple of things that you didn't mention in that speech or don't remember. One, she dropped everything, no questions asked, to clear my name, during the Ramos thing. Second, she did the same thing again, and risked her life, to save my daughter from Scrog. How can I not help her now, when she's at the lowest point in her life? Les, you were always a compassionate and giving person. Could you send her back to the streets along with another innocent life. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'm done with the bitterness and anger. It's time you let it go too."

He lowered his head and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Ranger..."

"I'm not finished yet. The one and only time that she asked me what we were to each other, I rejected her, and told her to go back to Morelli. I told her that I didn't do relationships, I told her love for me came with a condom, not a ring, and I told her I loved her in my own way. Everytime, she went back to him, moved in with him, I was angry and jealous, but not enough to take those words back. Not enough to tell her the truth. She didn't choose me, because I let her believe the bullshit."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Jesus! That's fucked up."

"Yeah, I'm paying now because I'm an emotional retard, and I'm still fucking up with her. I let her go, but I won't abandon her. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, okay. We need to call Tank and talk to him about this. He and I can maybe go, and do a preliminary assessment of his operation in England."

"We'll work it out. Stephanie has an appointment in the morning with a shrink our company guy recommended. Do you want to talk to her today, or during one of her sessions?"

"Is she able to talk about it and process right now?"

"She's not talking much. You could tell her about Bobby, and give her time to process it..."

"I think I'll go that route. After lunch then, I'll take her for a walk on the beach."

"Fine. Lula can take Angel."

He held up a finger and said, "One more thing. You know that baby looks like you."

"You haven't changed that much, Lester. You still haven't learned when to shut-the-fuck-up. It's not possible. So, don't make me hit you again."

* * *

Stephanie was quiet as usual during lunch. She fed Angel out of a jar of baby food. The little girl smiled and worked her little hands. She was like Stephanie used to be, she seemed to love her food. I hadn't yet seen Stephanie excited about anything, not even Alonso's food.

When Betina began cleaning up, I asked Stephanie to let Lula take Angel. "Babe, Lester wants to go for a walk and talk to you."

She looked up like she was terrified. Lester said, "I want to talk about Bobby, but I'm not going to repeat the words I said to you that day, or anything like that."

She finally said, "Okay," then handed Angel to Lula.

They headed out the patio door together, and Lula looked at me. She sniffed the air and held up Angel, and turned her butt to her nose. "Mmm, hmm. Thought so. Well, you might as well get used to playin' baby daddy. You got a baby livin' with you. Here you go..."

She held Angel out to me. I started to protest and then the baby smiled at me. I sighed and took her from Lula. "I'm not afraid, Lula. I prefer not to, but I've changed a few diapers before."

I heard Lula snickering as I headed up the stairs with Angel in my arms.

I laid her on the changing table and unwrapped her diaper. "Between me and you, I used to be considered a hero by some. I'm working on earning my cape back. I can start by rescuing you from diaper rash." She smiled and kicked her little legs. I rubbed her tiny ear with my finger. "I hope that we can rescue these little ears of yours."

I finished and tickled her belly. She reached a hand out and took my thumb and pulled it to her mouth. I really looked at her then. Shit. Santos and everybody else is right. She does kind of look like me. I picked her up, and headed back down the stairs.

About fifteen minutes later, I heard the patio door slide open, and walked out of my office. Stephanie turned to me her eyes red from tears, and she slowly walked up to me, and stood looking for a moment at my face. Without warning her hand shot out and struck me hard, literally stinging to the point that one of my eyes watered. Then she turned, and fled up the stairs.

I turned to Lester, "What the hell did you say to her...?"

TBC -


	13. Chapter 13

**Again, really great reviews and comments! You guys are really paying attention and have lots of question. I'm getting there one at time.**

**One of you guessed correctly at one question that will be answered this chapter. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the review. I was going to give you credit. After the chapter, give me a chirp, and I'll be sure and do that.**

**So, those castration knives are still out. Sigh. LOL**

**Ranger is at this point in his life, just plain jaded. He is a controller by nature, but he's battle worn and scarred too.**

**Alix33 is still coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation. Thanks girl!**

**Chapter 13**

Lester was grinning and Lula was standing there glaring at us both. Lester said, "I didn't have anything to do with that slap, but it was fun payback for that punch you dealt me earlier."

I rubbed my hand down my face. Lula was bouncing Angel on her knee and turned to lester. "What did you say to my girl to make her so mad?"

"I told her what we found out about Bobby after he died. We were all angry and just filed it at the time. We agreed to tell her about it because we thought it might help her with the guilt now. But I didn't blow smoke up her ass. It was her fault that he died that day," he said.

She asked him. "Well what did you find out about him? Tank didn't tell me nothin'."

Lester sat down and ran a hand through his hair. "They did an autopsy because his death was ruled a murder. The Coroner found he had cancer, Lymphoma. Later, when we got his personal effects back, we checked his phone. He'd missed an appointment with an Oncologist that very day. He had just been referred, hadn't told anybody yet."

Lula looked surprised. "Was he gonna die?"

"Yeah, he had a year or two maybe. It was the Non-Hodgkins kind, and pretty aggressive. Explained some things going on with him. He was complaining about not sleeping and night sweats. He'd lost some weight, wasn't eating as much. He mentioned getting a check-up and doing a sleep study. I'm sure he was shocked to find out that what he had was cancer," Lester said.

"That poor boy. How did Stephanie take that?"

"She appreciated me telling her. I told her I was still angry at her even when I found out, and I was. At that time, my thinking was that I wanted him with me for whatever time he had left. Now I know, he went out the way he would have wanted to. Like in battle and with no pain, man."

She said, "Tank said they arrested that dude that shot him. Got the gun. He's in prison now."

I added, "Yeah. Stephanie walked right into a big drug deal going down. She shouldn't have even had that file, much less been down there, and out of her car. I know exactly what happened. All of us knew the major players who ran in that area, and so did our men. Every week, we had a meeting and passed photos, and files around to the men. Here is Trenton's most wanted and dangerous, with drugs, weapons, the gangs, whatever. That...is...their...job...to know. We make it our business to stay ahead and informed, so we don't walk right up into messes like she did. Bobby likely saw what was going down when he pulled up, and jumped out of his truck to get her out before she got killed. He got popped running into it. I don't know how many times, I had told her not to go down there without back up, and be aware of her surroundings. It should have been both of your jobs to know your business and who you were dealing with at all times, and what you were walking into, the same as us. That rarely happened. That part was aggravating, because Stephanie was good at finding people and picking up things about them that others couldn't. Yet, her apprehensions were always careless and sloppy, and when you were there, it was chaos."

"What? Now you talkin' about me too?"

"Yes, I am. How many times have you pulled that big fucking gun out and shot it off because you didn't know what was going on, and you were afraid? How many times have you, yourself put my men and other people in danger? You don't know how damn lucky you are that one of those stray bullets didn't find a mark. Nobody could have saved you from a prison sentence. Juniak is happy as hell that you two aren't working together any longer and he's not the police chief now. He used to say that he and Morelli shared a full cabinet of antacids because of the two of you."

She looked at both us. "If that's so, how come you didn't talk to us?"

I sighed. "I did talk to Stephanie about it, but not enough. On those occasions, she didn't listen and didn't take me seriously. She just said that I sounded like Morelli. I should have demanded she get proper training or quit helping her early in her career. I didn't, and that's on me."

She asked, "Why you doin' this now? Helpin' her, when it sounds like you don't even like her no more?"

I took a deep breath. Good fucking question. "I don't know for sure. Guilt for what I didn't do in the past, and for what I did do in Newark. I just always cared for her in a way that I can't explain, Lula."

She snorted. "I can. It's easy. You love my girl, and you always have. That's why she gets away with shit. You pussy whipped is what you is. Big Batman just don't want to admit he's addicted to the little Batgirl cave."

Lester guffawed and fell over on the sofa laughing his fool ass off. Angel was looking at Lester and squealed, working her little hands and then looked at me smiling. Both of them can kiss my ass. Furrowing my brows, I turned, heading back to my office shaking my head. Forget those two. I'm going to do paperwork and contemplate why the hell she slapped me.

* * *

I woke early the next morning, feeling anxious. My life was about to go through major changes again, and I didn't feel like my usual confident self. That was bad, and I needed to get a handle on that, and work it out quickly.

I had spent the rest of the afternoon yesterday, mindlessly doing the paperwork, and thinking about Lula's words and Steph. Unfortunately, memories of early, more pleasant times with her came to mind, and I found myself reminiscing about the past and her. Where most women could barely hold my attention long enough to get the condom on, she had entertained me, and held my attention for years. I guess I had loved her, in my own way, the wrong way…

One decision that I had made in the afternoon, was about Aleida. Realistically, there hadn't been much about her that I really liked, except that she had a perfect body, half-sculpted by the best plastic surgeons somebody else's money had bought. Then there was the fact that she was extremely adventurous in the bedroom, and had not been previously intrusive. That last one was changing. I talked to Les early evening, and asked if he was interested in keeping her, and he'd shrugged and said he would for a while. I knew she wouldn't be happy with that, and him not being in Miami most of the time. I decided that the best thing to do was to talk to her and let her decide what she wanted.

So, I asked Betina to entertain my guests that night with her culinary skills and went to talk to Aleida.

Aleida was not happy. She began bawling almost immediately. "I will pay the rent on this place for six more months. That should give you plenty of time to find a place or another man to keep you."

She pouted. "But I don't want another man, Ranger. I want you. Why are you doing this now? Is it those women? Neither one of them was even much to look at. It has something to do with that baby, doesn't it?"

"My personal life is none of your business, Aleida. We are ending this and we're doing it today. I suggest you use your charms and begin your search for a replacement companion."

"Won't your friend keep me? He's handsome and good in bed. I liked him."

"I explained that to you. He doesn't live in Miami. There would be long stretches where you wouldn't have any companionship at all, and he wouldn't keep you and share you. I know you, and you wouldn't be happy, and you wouldn't be able to honor his wishes. The decision is made."

"At least take me to bed one more time before you go, please. I'm going to miss you."

I sighed and grabbed her hand, leading her to the bedroom. I had no problem with her request. It would likely be a long time before I got laid again.

* * *

I had gone for a run with Les again. Then showered and we all had breakfast together. Stephanie hadn't talked to anyone the rest of the day before. She had stayed in that room until dinner. Lula tried to talk about Bobby, and that discussion had just sent her right back upstairs again.

She wasn't happy about going to see this doctor this morning or leaving Angel. She was angry, and had been vocal about it. I thought, _good_, at least she's showing some new emotions. I was hopeful that what she wouldn't discuss with the rest of us, she would with the doctor. We were going alone, and I had planned a treat for her after the session, shopping and lunch in Coconut Grove. I wanted to start building trust between us again.

Dr. Ortiz was a pleasant middle-aged woman. She had a calming manner about her and Derek was right, I felt good about her as Stephanie's personal therapist.

They were in session about an hour, and Stephanie came out looking much the same as she did when she'd gone in. I looked at Dr. Ortiz in question. "May I speak to you a moment before we go?" She nodded and opened the door to her office.

She sat down in a chair, and motioned for me to do the same. "I have to advise you first, that my sessions with Stephanie are confidential."

"That's fine, but I'm paying for her therapy and taking care of her. She doesn't look like she talked to you at all. Is she cooperating?"

"She answered some direct questions. She didn't volunteer information. She may have some trust issues, and depending on how severe her trauma was, it may take a few sessions before she talks freely to me. I have reiterated with her as well that our sessions are confidential unless she allows me to share any information with you."

"If you're asking the questions and she's not answering, I'm going to give you the big picture. What I know happened in New Jersey. Her disregard for her safety led to one of my men, and my best friends getting killed two years ago. His partner said harsh words to her, and I disconnected with her after that day and moved here. She married her long time boyfriend, and that didn't work out. Then she couldn't find a job in Trenton, moved to Newark, and ended up hooking for a living. In the interim, she picked up a baby by a dumpster someone had discarded, took it home and gave it a name. That baby is likely deaf. There is a lot there for you to ask questions about now, Dr. Ortiz."

She smiled and said, "I appreciate your sharing those details, however, I sometimes find that there is more to the "big picture" than meets the eye. She will tell me her story when she's ready."

I sighed and ran my hands down my face. "I hurt her in Newark. I was angry at her, and I was angry that she was hooking. I paid for her, took her to my hotel, and used her. I destroyed trust, and now I admit that I would like my friend back."

"And she will tell me about that experience as well, when she's ready."

I said, "I understand. I just want..."

"Mr. Manoso, you have obviously suffered loss and trauma as well. I would suggest that you have sessions with Dr. Sacks during this time. It may help you as you begin to rebuild your friendship with Stephanie in the future."

Resigned, that this wouldn't happen fast, I nodded and got up to leave. Then I walked into the waiting area, and put out my hand to Stephanie. "Babe, I thought we'd have lunch and do some shopping in Coconut Grove before we go back. You can call Lula to check on Angel in the car."

Stephanie looked at my hand a minute and then stood. She simply said, "Okay." I looked at Dr. Ortiz and she just smiled and nodded.

Then I walked out as Stephanie followed at my heels. _Manoso, there is nobody to blame, but yourself. You were in charge when everything went FUGAZI._

TBC -

FUGAZI - Military war (Vietnam War) slang for a messed up situation. Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In, leaving bodies.


	14. Chapter 14

**Mostly great reviews and comments, and a little grouching too! Proudofyoubabe guessed that Bobby had cancer, and maybe one or two others had thought of it. ****Ybanormalmom, had some great ideas. Told her I'd be taking those and leaving my note. Ha!**

**One reviewer just commented they were all still jerks. Well, okay. I mentioned that Ranger is jaded in the author note in the last chapter. Yes, he can be kind of a jerk. Jenarden made a good point in her review. He really had nothing to do with her complete downfall, at least as far as he knows. ****He is mostly guilty of just inaction where she was concerned. ********I didn't read JE's book 21, but I did read 19 and 20. Ranger is pulling away from her. He's not around as much, and doesn't talk to her as much. This story kind of follows that a bit.**

**Alix33 is coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation. Thanks girl!**

**Chapter 14**

Stephanie was picking at her lunch. It was hard to believe that this was the same woman who had always eaten meals with such gusto. I asked, "Babe, would you like some dessert? They have excellent key lime pie here."

A shrug. "Okay..." Fuck, I'm beginning to hate that one word.

I ordered the dessert and spoke again. "I like Dr. Ortiz. How about you?"

Looking down at her plate, moving her food around, she said, "She seems nice enough."

"I hope you'll talk to her and let her help you. I know you've had a lot of changes in your life and she can help you work through them and put the bad behind you."

Still looking down, she mumbled, "She can't make me forget..."

"No, she can't do that. I've never forgotten a single man's name that I lost, here or in the military. I don't want to forget, because I don't want to make the same mistakes again."

She looked up at me then. "You admit you make mistakes?"

"It was amusing, you thinking of me as a super-hero, but I was never that. I'm human, just a man. I made mistakes in battle, and I made mistakes with you."

"Why are you helping me now? You left without saying goodbye, then came back and treated me like...you did."

"I was angry at your choices, and angry to see that you were still making bad ones. I'm helping you now because I care about you. I don't want you alone and suffering. How is it that your friends and family didn't know your desperate situation? What about Mary Lou? After all the years you were together, why did Morelli just turn you out with nothing?"

She looked at me again. This time her eyes were burning into me, like they were accusing me of something. I raised an eyebrow and was going to ask her to explain her feelings. For that mater, I wanted an explanation for the slap she'd dealt me. I went to open my mouth, when she spoke again. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Stephanie..." I started and then thought of Dr. Ortiz's words and stopped, then just sighed, and let it go for now. Hopefully, she'd eventually open up to me. With Stephanie, who knew? She never talked much about her personal feelings or what was in her head in the past.

We spent the afternoon shopping, and I bought her some items to start her a new wardrobe. I took her in a department store where we purchased some personal items like makeup, hair products and accessories for her. She had always liked my shower gel, and I asked her if she wanted some like it, and she shook her head, no. I was a bit disappointed at that, and reminded again that we had a long road ahead of us yet.

I encouraged her to pick out a couple of pairs of shoes and sandals, but the only thing she really got excited about, were the few items she chose for Angel. I told her that she, Lula, and Betina could have a spa, and salon day later in the week if she wanted. At this point, I hoped any little thing would make her feel a little better or at the most, make her smile.

Grace called on the way home with an appointment for Stephanie with her own doctor for a routine physical the next afternoon, and Sara called later when we arrived home. I asked, "Were you able to get us an appointment with the specialist?"

"He'll see her, but he has a lot of questions, Carlos."

"Sara, I'm working on this thing. I'll likely have to talk to a social worker and tell them the truth. I know one now, and I'm hoping that being able to tell her that we've begun treatment will help with getting custody of the child."

"If she needs surgery, he won't do it under these circumstances."

I sighed. "When will he see her?"

"He'll see her early tomorrow morning, 8:30 am."

"Fine. We'll be there, and thank you again."

"How is Stephanie?"

"She's fair. She started seeing a psychologist today."

"How is Angel?"

"She seems happy. She's a good baby."

"Keep moving forward. I'll be here if you need me."

"Appreciate that."

I had no damn choice. I needed to call Sylvia Martin, and I needed to lay this mess out for her and get her aid in sorting it. She could help me, and hopefully give us temporary custody so we can continue with help for Angel. I was surprised to feel that what happened to that little baby was now very important to me.

She had taken an instant liking to Lester. He was bouncing her on his knee and making faces for her when we came in, making her giggle and squeal with enthusiasm. Stephanie's face had softened, and a genuine smile had appeared for the first time since arriving here. No, since over two years ago.

I sent Fenton in the U.K., an email and told him that I had some personal business going on, and apologized for the delay in responding. I asked him if I could conference call with Tank in two days and talk. Then I called Sylvia Martin. "Mr. Manoso? What can I do for you? Is the baby alright?"

"Yes and no. She's safe and happy, but I need your help."

"I don't understand."

"It's kind of a long story. I was wondering if we could meet in person."

"If this has to do with the child's welfare, absolutely. When?"

"We have a doctor appointment with a specialist about her hearing issue tomorrow morning. Would you like to come here after? I'm not sure that Stephanie will want to go to your office, and this is delicate."

"Alright. Just call me when you're heading home."

"I will. Thank you."

* * *

Dr. Paul Canalis began to explain the three main reasons for hearing loss in children as he began his examination of Angel. Basically broken down into, unknown, genetic, or non-genetic. Ear infections were the main cause in children and very treatable, congenital or genetic, or present at birth. There there was acquired, meaning it appears after birth for some reason like from a disease or accident.

After he finished examining her he said, "She does have significant hearing loss. From here we set up audio testing, do an MRI to look for any scarring or physical damage, and we can do genetic testing which includes samples from both parents."

I sighed. "Doctor, we're not her biological parents. We're her guardians. We don't know who they were and probably never will. Can you arrange for the other tests?"

He turned and looked at me. "Sara is your sister, Mr. Manoso?" I nodded. "I respect and trust her, so I just have one question? Is there anything illegal going on here."

"The child was wronged, she was abandoned at birth. I'm working on the legal part now. Our primary intentions are to help this baby and give her the chance she wouldn't have otherwise gotten. She wouldn't have lived if Stephanie hadn't found her when she did."

He nodded. "Good enough. I'll have my staff schedule the two tests."

As we were heading to the car to leave, I called Ms. Miller to tell her that we were on our way home. I looked over at Stephanie. She would be terrified if she knew that the social worker was coming back to the house.

Sylvia Martin, officially representing Child Protective Services, arrived just a few minutes after we did, and I took her to my office to talk privately while the others in the house were otherwise occupied. Ms. Martin looked both concerned and curious, I guess to be back here again so soon. "Can I get you something to drink? I have a long story to tell you."

"Maybe later. I'm fine now. Curious about what you have to tell me."

I smiled at her. "I can see that written on your face." We both sat and I began. "I own a security company, and began doing bounty hunting when I came out of the military. Prior to moving back down here, I lived in Trenton, New Jersey, for the last three years. The two women you met are from there. Stephanie, the one with the baby, was a bounty hunter that I mentored. We became friends and worked together on occasion."

She nodded and I continued. "Two years ago, one of my men was killed rescuing her from a dangerous situation. It was indirectly her fault, she'd been foolhardy in chasing a fugitive, and he'd gone to aid her that day. He was one of the owners of my company and one of my best friends. Several people were affected by his death, and emotions ran high. That day had not been the first time she'd been reckless, and there was of course anger directed at Stephanie."

There was a knock on the door and Lester stuck his head in. "Hey primo. Oh, excuse me, who's your lovely friend?"

I did a mental eye-roll at Lester, then noticed that Sylvia was smiling at him. A thought occurred to me, _the fucking Lothario might be able to help here_. "Lester Santos, this is Sylvia Martin. She's with Child Protective Services, and I asked her here for help with Angel. Ms. Martin, this is my cousin, the man I just told you about was his partner."

He walked in and reached for her hand and instead of shaking it, kissed it. This time, I did a real Stephanie Plum style eye-roll. Her smile got bigger. "I'm so sorry about your partner and friend."

He shrugged and sat down in the chair next to her. "Thanks. Did he tell you that we found out later he had cancer. Bob was brave, but wouldn't have wanted to suffer through that. He was a great guy."

She said, "Oh no, he hadn't told me that yet. He just finished telling me about his death and the hurt feelings about the event."

I started again telling the story and they both turned to me. "Anyway, after that happened, I unintentionally severed ties with Stephanie by moving back here to Miami. This was originally planned as being our home office. My two partners, including Lester, decided it was time to spread out. Over that two-year period, Stephanie fell on very hard times. I found her in Newark a couple of weeks ago while visiting Trenton on business, and she was not the same. Her living conditions were bad and she had the baby."

She looked confused. "I don't see where that concerns..."

"The baby is not hers," I added.

"Not hers? Whose baby is it then?"

"We don't know. She found the baby one night walking home from work. It had been discarded like trash near a dumpster, just born, umbilical cord still attached. Stephanie picked it up and took it home. She saved its life and kept it."

She swallowed. "That discarded garbage, is little Angel? Her name is very appropriate for her. Unfortunately, that sad story is not unique or unheard of. Safe-Haven Laws have helped with this problem, but this still happens with teens and drug users. This may explain why she's deaf, it could have happened in utero from drugs, during the birth, or when she was just dumped."

I nodded. "We took her to a specialist this morning. He's going to schedule tests. We need your help. I want to become her legal guardian and eventually adopt her. I need a birth certificate to get her treatment started properly. There's nothing we can do about the past and what wasn't done. Can you help us?"

She sighed. "Unfortunately, this will take time. I have to speak to my supervisor and she may want to do a home assessment herself right away. Normally, we would take the infant until the story and circumstances can be verified. Except for your gun wielding friend, your home seems safe."

"Ms. Martin. It cannot be verified. None of us were in touch with her at that time. You may verify my information, that I'm a business owner and you might even call the former police chief in Trenton to verify that I'm on the right side of the law. We're all professionally trained, and legally carry our weapons. Lula doesn't have a permit for Florida, and that is why she's in trouble here."

Lester snorted and mumbled. "That's not the only reason..."

I glared at him and Sylvia looked at him and then back at me. "Lula is a bit eccentric, and we tolerate her because she's our other partner's long time girlfriend."

She relaxed and said, "Oh, now I think I understand. Please call me Sylvia. Looks like we're going to be working together for a while."

I added, "And I hope in a positive way for Angel. I'm known as Ranger, and my given name is Carlos. You may call me by either."

She smiled and nodded. "We'll have to contact the local agency there in Newark. Try to find out if the parents or relatives are looking for the baby. I need to do the paperwork immediately to approve you for foster care. My department can work on getting her a birth certificate, and making her a legal U.S. citizen as well."

I furrowed my brows and asked, "Why would the New Jersey office even consider giving her back to the parents. She would have died horribly. According to Stephanie, rats were moving in on her when she arrived in that alley."

She made a face. "I agree, that's unspeakable. It's just a process, Mr... Ranger. They would like to find out for the purpose of prosecution of course, and it benefits the child to know who the parents are, and to have it on the birth certificate. Unfortunately, there may be relatives looking for the baby as well. We have to do the necessary steps before you can legally adopt her."

"I understand. The most pressing issue now is to get the birth certificate issued for Angel's treatment. Then to give me authority to allow any tests or treatments on her behalf."

She smiled at both of us. "I can help you with that. Once she's entered into our system, my office can authorize the necessary treatment for her."

Lester grinned and said, "That's great, Sylvia. By the way, you can call me Lester, Les, handsome, or I hope, eventually lover..."

I did a double eyebrow raise. Seriously? Romeo was in bad form today, and I hope he didn't send her running. This was maybe the worst of Lester I'd ever heard.

Then to my utter surprise, she actually giggled. I would be making damn sure that his dick or his tongue could back up what his mouth was promising. There was some serious business that needed her attention going on here, and I didn't need Lula's or Lester's shenanigans screwing it up!

Plus, the big bonus would be that if Sylvia was able fix this and give me custody; I was off the marriage hook...

TBC-


	15. Chapter 15

**Great reviews, great ideas you're throwing out! Some very kind words as well, and they mean so much to me. And the lurkers are more than welcome. Love it, love it, love it.**

**I wrote the ending and I didn't know I was writing it, until I got there, then after many tears, I knew it was finished. I'll warn you, I boohooed and littered my entire desk with little snotty tissues, I haven't cried this much since I killed Nash in the second story I ever wrote, Lost and Found. Don't worry, that chapter will begin with a big warning to get your tissue box or your roll of toilet paper. LOL**

**Alix33 is coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation. Thanks girl!**

**Chapter 15 **

After Lester finished making date plans with Sylvia, I gave him a stern warning, and reminded him that we seriously needed this woman and her help. His retort was that he seriously needed her as well. He said he was in love with her. "Lester, you fall in love with every woman you meet before you fuck her, then you fall out of love after."

He stuck his nose up in a haughty manner. "Not this woman."

I ran my hand down my face. Then slapped him upside the head. "This is what Bobby would do at this particular moment. How old are you now?"

"Age is just a number..."

I laughed out loud. "Then yours is two, because you are so full of shit, hombre. You just better remember, if you fuck her, you better keep doing it and doing it well until this mess is over..."

He gave me a shit-eating grin. "That's mean you're making me perform under pressure. I'll need lots of favors in return for that."

I pointed to the door. "Get the fuck out of my office and make yourself useful. When is the last time you checked in with your office?"

He mimicked getting his back up and said, "For your information, Mr. Dick-tator, we had a conference call this morning while you were gone. On a serious note, can I help you with anything?"

I grinned at him. Thank goodness, he's back. "Yeah, you mind taking the women for lunch, and driving Steph to her doctor appointment. Meaning, entertain them."

"I'm good at entertaining women. I got this..." And out the door he went. Behind that silly façade, that guy had proved to be a rock. There was no doubt he had my back, and was deadly dependable. Just a kid, he had picked up my battles in Newark when I got into trouble, and was sent to Abuela, in Miami. He didn't stop there, had followed me into the Army, and eventually met up with us in the Rangers. He never told me all he'd been through with the gangs to survive, protect my family, and stay out of jail. There was a reason why he hadn't attached himself to a woman. Most likely the same as me. My guess? He was a fucked up mess too.

Betina knocked and poked her head in my office to let me know that she had to leave and the others weren't back yet. I had begun working, catching up with paperwork, and had gotten totally lost in my thoughts. She said, "I left you a casserole in the oven and a salad to go with it in the refrigerator. Angel just woke up from a nap not long ago, and I changed her diaper. Do you want me to bring in her little bouncing chair?"

"Thank you, Betina. I'll wrap up and come out to get her."

When I got to the living room, Angel was in Betina's arms smiling. She turned to me and put her little arms out. I took her and pulled to me, kissing her soft cheek. She was dressed in a little jumper with flowers on it, and had a tiny pink barrette attached to her curls.

I decided that she and I would have some fun with food. So we went to the kitchen, and I dished out some casserole, salad, and got some fruit salad out, and sat them on the table. Then I filled a little sip cup left on the counter with water. I sat her on the table right in front of me then picked little pieces of soft food and fed it to her with my fingers. When she liked the flavor, she would squeal and her little hands would start going crazy, and when she didn't like it, she would make a face. Those faces had me laughing out loud, and I hadn't even noticed when the others had come in through the pantry from the garage.

I heard a laugh and looked up, Lula and Lester were watching us. Stephanie was smiling, but her face was still sad, and she looked like she had tears pooling in her eyes. "Grab a plate of food, Babe, and join us."

They all grabbed plates and filled them. I asked, "So, how did your physical go?"

"Okay. He gave me a vitamin B shot, and told me to take some electrolyte, mineral and vitamin supplements for a while."

"We can get some drinks with electrolytes, and a bottle of vitamins when we're out tomorrow. You look a little better already."

Lester said, "We got mani-pedis." He kicked his athletic shoe off and it landed a few feet away with a big thud, then he plopped his big foot up on the table and wiggled his toes." Angel squealed and reached out and grabbed his big toe, making Stephanie and Lula laugh.

"Get your foot off the table you idiot." I shook my head and then chuckled myself.

He snatched up Angel and started blowing raspberries on her little cheeks, making her giggle hysterically. Truthfully, Lester and his tomfoolery were exactly what we all needed right now.

Before we were finished cleaning up from dinner, the doorbell rang. I was surprised, because it had to be someone that knew the security code to the front gate. I opened the door to Tank, standing there grinning with a bag in his hand. "After you done feastin' yo' eyes on my fine ass attributes, you gonna try to kiss me? Or, you gonna let me in, man."

I grinned. "Get in here, fucker. Did you tell anybody here you were coming?"

"Naw, I thought I'd just surprise everybody. We can all be here in the morning for that conference call with the English dude, Fenton."

This was a nice surprise for a change. "You hungry? We were just putting away the leftovers from dinner."

"Yeah, I can eat. My baby behavin' herself now?"

"A little. She's afraid to get on the wrong side of the Florida law now." I smiled. "I did get word this afternoon that her gun has mysteriously disappeared from evidence at the police station, but I'm not going to tell her that just yet."

His voice boomed as he laughed out loud at that. In seconds, Lula came running. "Is that my big, sweet, chocolate, sugar bear, come to see me?"

I shook my head. "You better put a stop to that son, or find yourself like Stephanie's brother-in-law, Kloughn. Cuddle-umpkins has probably lost so much testosterone by now his balls are likely the size of marbles."

He burst out laughing. "I just got in the door. Don't make me go straight to whoopin' yo little Cuban ass, bro'."

* * *

I sprang up out of bed that night grabbing for my gun. I was in the jungle on a mission, damp with perspiration and breathing hard. Then I opened my eyes and looked around the room. I'm at home in Miami, so what the hell woke me up?

Then I heard the noises, it sounded like a troupe of silverbacks mating in unison. The second floor of my house was shaking. I got up and opened my bedroom door and looked out. Suddenly, Lester poked his head out of his room, hair all wild and crazy, then I looked in the other direction and Stephanie poked hers out, her head looking even worse. Lester said, "What the fuck is that? Man, I woke up having flashbacks."

I grinned. "That would be Lula and our newest guest." He made a yuck face, and I looked at Stephanie. "Is Angel awake? Bring her downstairs and we'll have some Italian ice. I have lots of flavors for her to try."

She smiled and nodded, and ducked back in the room to get her. Ten minutes later, we had cartons all over the table, with bowls and spoons out. Angel was sitting on the table with a spoon in her hand, waiting for the next bite. I said, "I've heard that when you lack one of your senses, the others can be more intense. Her sense of taste is developing fast."

Stephanie said, "I've seen her raise her nose and sniff the air before. She likes things that smell good. She likes the way you smell, if you notice when you hold her, she puts her nose to your chest and shoulder. She's smelling you, Lester too."

I smiled at Angel. "Your mother used to like my body wash too. As a matter of fact, she lifted a few bottles, she doesn't think I know about that." I glanced at Stephanie and she was blushing.

Lester said, "So what's the deal? You two going to finally quit playing games, and admit that you have feelings for each other. You're not getting any younger, and we know first hand how short this life can be."

Stephanie looked uncomfortable and I glared at him. "Lester, shut-up. We're both focused on this baby, number one, and she's trying to recover from a tough spell in her life. Number two, I'm helping her like I always did, don't make more out of it than what it is."

"You're adopting a baby together. That's not a big deal?" Shit, Santos. I looked over at Stephanie just as her head snapped to me, eyes wide.

"I hadn't told you yet, that I talked to an attorney, Sara and the other doctor, and the social worker. We can't get Angel treatment unless we're her guardians. You can't be her sole guardian, Stephanie, because you have no means, no job, and no money. It will have to be me. The social worker, Sylvia, is going to help us get her a birth certificate. I'll be her legal guardian."

She pounded the table with her fist. "No! You're not taking her from me. I'm not going to lose her again!" Angel jumped and wobbled, and I grabbed her and pulled her into my lap.

"Calm down, Babe. No one is taking her from you. You saved her life and you'll always be her true mother. Angel can tell you're upset, and you don't need to be. I know that she needs you." Stephanie reached out and took her from me.

Her eyes burned into me as she was standing, "I'll kill you before I let you take her away from me." Then she walked out of the room.

Lester sat there staring at her back and then looked at me, eyebrows furrowed. "What the hell did you do to her exactly? I think she was serious."

I looked over at the block of knives on the island and the empty slot where one was still missing. "That woman is still in survival mode, and yes, I can assure you that she's deadly serious."

TBC -


	16. Chapter 16

**Great reviews again. I can't tell you what great and creative thinking you guys have done where Angel is concerned. So many people talking to me on this saga, and I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every peep from every person. **

**On a bummer note, the publisher's team is now on my book. Target publishing month is MARCH! I could croak before that book comes out! (Knocking on wood now, I don't really want to croak, my second book is almost finished. Guess I should just be grateful and roll with it. But still, ****grrr****. Was hopeful for an Xmas or New Years release for all of us. On a happy note for you guys, I got time for fanfiction now. Haha!) They did tell me it could be ready sooner. Fingers crossed.**

******Alix33 is coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation. Thanks girl!**

**Chapter 16**

Our conference call with Fenton and his associates went well. Lester and Tank would take a team to assess his business in a week. He wasn't put off by the fact that I couldn't make this initial trip, and the men would give me a detailed report upon their return. He had even mentioned trying to get away to fly back with them.

We were well known now in the personal security business among the rich and famous. Rangeman had a team based out of Lester's Boston office that travelled doing events all over the country. Lester's next project was going to be the opening of a Los Angeles branch with a focus in that area. That was the security business that Fenton wanted, not the kind back in the middle east watching sweaty oil rig workers backs, and dodging bullets. He was sure that the American name alone would draw business in London after a merger.

Lester was a smooth talking dynamo in that arena. The guy was half-Cuban with lighter skin and hair than mine, six foot-two inches of solid muscle, green eyes, and was a very good-looking man. When he put on an Armani suit, Italian shoes, and walked in a room, cracking his boyish smile, he attracted attention. That's why I had my doubts about his love for Sylvia Martin. He was planning to move to L.A., and already had a boy-toy rep with the West coast Diva population as a popular one-night stand. Tank joked that we should just go ahead and insure his cock, and put him on the list of services Rangeman offered. Lester was definitely the right man for Fenton to talk to about that side of the business.

We were all having lunch before it was time for Stephanie's appointment with Dr. Ortiz. Someone buzzed from the security gate, and I thought it might be Sylvia, and buzzed them through. I was headed to the door when the bell rang, and I opened it. My fourteen year old daughter, Julie, blasted through the entrance and started asking questions. "Aunt Grace said Stephanie was here. She's really here? How come you didn't call and tell me? I'd have totally come right away. I'm here now though. Mom said I could stay a couple days. I got this dumb orientation thing next week before high school. I need some fun. Can we have some fun?" She chucked a big bag into the living room and it landed with a thud, kind of like Lester's big athletic shoe last night. I thought, I_'m not sure if Steph is ready for this, for that matter, not sure if I am._

I said, "We have a lot going on, but can make time for a little fun. You hungry? We're having lunch."

"Yeah, I can eat. Where is she?"

I sighed. I was much closer to Julie than I'd ever been. The kid was hyper. We made time to run together. She was on the school track team at school, and played soccer. Frank and even some of our other men liked going to her games. She was up in the air about whether she liked us all there. She said that nobody watched the game when we came, especially the soccer moms. "Can you give your old man a hug before you go ambushing anyone else in the house, Tank and Lester are here too. I'm sorry I didn't call you, baby. Steph is a little different. She'd been having a rough time when I ran into her again. We're all trying to help her now. You might need to tone it down a bit..."

A voice behind me said, "Is that Julie?"

Then squeals erupted and there were hugs, followed by more squeals, then some dancing, and more hugging. Well, so much for my concerns. At this point, I was a little confused at this scene, and would have much appreciated a hug myself…

Julie turned around and looked at me giggling. "Dad…? You want a group hug?"

"Excuse me? Did I say that out loud?"

She nodded and pulled Stephanie over with her, and put her arms around me. I wrapped mine around them both, and felt Stephanie stiffen for a moment, then slowly relax. Then Julie let go and blasted into the kitchen. I looked down at Stephanie and grinned. "Shall we follow. She'll hit me with another fifty questions when she sees Angel." Suddenly, I heard another squeal coming from that direction. Stephanie kind of chuckled and put her hand over her mouth.

We walked through the doorway and Julie was bent over looking at Angel who was sitting on Tank's massive thigh holding a spoon, and accepting bites from a jar of baby food, and nibbles off his plate. She slowly stood up, looking at me, and blinking. "Dad, did you make me a sister?"

"No, but Stephanie and I are going to adopt her. She's an orphan."

She looked at the baby and me again. "Wow, she sure looks like you. She even looks a little like I did in my baby pictures."

Angel was smiling at her, and reached out to grab a handful of her long hair. "I repeat, I didn't make her. Her name is Angel and she's deaf. She can't hear you, but can feel your vibrations, smell you, and she loves food like her adoptive mother here."

Stephanie gave me an elbow in the ribs and Julie laughed. "I remember Stephanie on a meatball sub and donut. You wiggle in your chair like you've got a wedgie when she eats those." Tank, Lester, and Lula burst out laughing. They knew very well, I didn't have a wedgie, I had a hard-on. She moans while eating those the way she does when she's underneath me, and we're making love. For me, it's hard to separate the two. I like watching her do both.

I grinned at a blushing Stephanie, then at Julie. "Eat, kid. Then you can play with Angel. Stephanie and I have to go out for a couple of hours."

"Cool, so does this mean that you two are getting married? You're a couple now?"

Stephanie and I both said at the same time, "No!"

She just shrugged, said hello to Betina, grabbed a plate from her, and began talking to Lester about sports. I mumbled, "Phew..." Then there was another buzz from the front gate. I pushed the button to let them in and headed to the front door...again.

This time it was Sylvia when I opened the door. "Sorry to come unannounced, Ranger. I have a small amount of news for you. Do you have a few minutes?"

"Come in. Actually, Stephanie, and I have to leave for an appointment, but Lester is here. As well as my partner from Trenton, and my daughter. You may as well stay and have lunch with them. You can fill Lester in, and he can relay your news if you're not here when we get back."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have called."

"No problem, I assure you. I was expecting to hear from you." She came in and headed to the kitchen. I looked at Stephanie. "You ready to go, Babe?"

"Yes, I just want to say goodbye to Angel. Are you sure that woman won't take her?"

"No, she's not here for that reason. She's trying to help." I winked at her. "And, she's sweet on Lester." She rolled her eyes, making me chuckle. This was good, Julie was better than a therapist for bringing out the old Stephanie.

* * *

This time when Stephanie came out of her session with Dr. Ortiz, her eyes were red, and she was sniffling, and the doctor was smiling. Great sign, she's talking. "You okay, Babe?"

She nodded, so I thanked Dr. Ortiz, and put my hand out to Stephanie. She looked at it a minute, and then surprised me by reaching out and taking it.

"We'll stop on the way home and get your vitamins and drinks."

"Okay. Angel needs some diapers and she's eating good, but I want to get some more formula for her."

I nodded. "No problem. We'll go to a department store, and you can get whatever you both need."

She mumbled something about wanting to see me buying diapers, and I said, "Don't be a smartass, Ms. Plum. I bought Julie diapers and I changed a few."

She smiled and shrugged. Then I thought for a minute, "Are you a Plum again? I didn't think to ask."

Her face changed and she looked down. "I never legally changed my name, and the marriage was annulled, so yes."

I was sincere when I said, "I'm sorry that didn't work out for you..."

She shook her head. "Please, I don't want to talk about it."

"I understand. Lets go run our errands"

She let go of my hand and looked up at me. Her eyes had changed and they were now angry. "You understand nothing, Ranger. You..., the perfect bounty hunting machine, with your standards, your money, your expensive cars and your big shiny house. You even have luxury soap and sheets. How nice it must be to simply change zip codes when _you_ have a problem." Her voice was getting louder as she spoke. "Do you understand desperation, Ranger? How about real heartache and despair? Have _your_ choices ever been the devil or the deep blue sea?"

Then she stomped on the elevator and smacked the down button hard, and didn't bother to wait for me. I turned around, and Dr. Ortiz was still standing there with her arms crossed. I said, "So, I'm guessing that the fact that she's expressing anger, is a good sign?" She just nodded and smiled.

I pressed the call button for the elevator and looked at her again. "One more question? Should I still be worried about a missing carving knife, and locking my bedroom door at night?"

She actually laughed at that. "You might eventually expect some payback, but I don't think she wants you dead, Mr. Manoso. You can rest at night in peace." I raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. Damn, lady. Like that makes me feel better…

* * *

Sylvia had relayed to Lester that her office had contacted Newark. As I'd expected, there had been no report of a missing infant around the time that Stephanie had found Angel. She had managed to get us quickly approved for foster care with the information that I'd given her before. Now, she was just waiting for a call from us regarding a full name for the birth certificate, and after that, her name would be changed in their system from baby Doe with a number attached, and re-entered so that she could be approved for treatment for her deafness. What it boiled down to, was that the system didn't have time to be that picky when there was a child with special needs involved, and a potential adoptive parent with means that wanted to take the child.

I was almost asleep that night, when there was a light rap on my door. "Come in."

It was Stephanie holding a very tearful Angel. She said, "Were you asleep? She doesn't cry much. I think she feels bad."

I got up and walked over to them and put my arms out. Angel looked at me with tiny pleading eyes. I took her and held her to me, gently patting her back. "She looks like she's in pain."

"We've been feeding her a lot of new foods suddenly. Do you think that could be the problem?"

I had taken Stephanie out for dinner after shopping when she was over her anger spell, and more like herself. I nodded, "Could be. Do you know what the others ate for dinner?"

"I think Lula said Mexican, chips and salsa, big burritos, and fried ice cream."

I groaned. I'd already read up on this. Re-fried beans, and cows milk, were definitely not a good mix for a baby's developing stomach. Hell, they weren't good for any belly. I sat down in a bedside chair and held her on her stomach with my hand while I kept patting, and rubbing her back with the other. She whimpered and cried, until eventually, a big 'poot' erupted from her backside and she began to quiet.

Stephanie snickered. "That's it? She just needed to fart?"

I grinned and nodded. "That's likely what the rest are doing in their sleep right now. She just needed a little help. Time for the rest of us to get some shut-eye." I carried Angel to the bed and got in, placing her on my chest. Stephanie just stood there like a statue.

"Babe, Angel is here. We're going to sleep." She nodded uncomfortably, and tip-toed over to the bed and got in. Then she pulled the cover up, and rolled on her side. I looked at her. "We need to give her a name for the birth certificate. If she's going to be mine, I would like her last name to be Manoso. We could give her both mine and yours."

She said, "We could just make her middle name Plum, like other fruit and flower names."

I smiled, still rubbing Angel's back and she settled into my chest dozing. "Fruit and flower names?"

She smiled back. "You know like, Apple, Cherry, Lilly... Just, Angel Plum Manoso."

"I like it." Then I said what I'd been wanting to say to her since I'd brought her to Miami. "Babe, I'm sorry I hurt you, and I promise that I will never touch you in anger again."

This melancholy look came over her face. "When… When I was with those men, those strangers, I got through it because I thought of you, your touch. Then you took that away from me. Those memories were like a safety net for me, and you ruined them. I don't know if I could have continued after..."

I gently touched the side of her face. "Go to sleep, Babe. You'll never have to go back there, and I promise that I'll never hurt you like that again."

She'd suddenly looked so tired and closed her eyes, falling immediately into a deep sleep. I ran my hand down the tiny sleeping form on my chest and sighed. I was surprised to realize that I felt more relaxed, and content at this very moment, than I'd felt in a very long time. I followed her lead and closed my eyes, quickly drifting off.

TBC -


	17. Chapter 17

**Great reviews, great comments you're still throwing out! Alix33 asked a good question, "Where did Steph's sudden change come from?" When writing that chapter, I was thinking to myself, "What or who besides Angel could bring out a more normal Stephanie?" The answer was easy, Julie. They have a bond that even Ranger couldn't break, and Julie is innocent and bubbly, making her feel good.**

**Kids are funny that way. Some you'd like to muzzle, and others make you smile. I didn't marry until later in life, and I hate to admit it, but I couldn't hardly stand any kids. Most of my friends had brats (they admit it too), and I didn't have the nerves or patience. I actually didn't want any, then my husband from a big Catholic family, begged me to try. Well, right before I was going to give up, I got pregnant. I cried and cursed, then hid the sticks I peed on, all five of them. But something started to happen when I first saw my boy on ultrasound, and then when I felt him kicking and moving around. When they put in him in my arms, my tiny cold heart grew, like the Grinch that Stole Christmas. LOL **

**Alix33 is coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation. Thanks girl!**

**Chapter 17**

I woke early and stiff from laying flat on my back holding Angel all night. She was awake and wiggling around, she needed a diaper change, and was probably hungry. Steph was laying on her stomach still sound asleep. I pulled on some lounge pants and quietly left the room with Angel.

While I was taking care of Angel's needs, Lester and Julie came downstairs wanting to know if I wanted to go for a run with them. I placed Angel next to a still sleeping Steph with some toys, and joined them for a beach run.

Dr. Canalis called right after I got out of the shower to let me know that he had both tests for Angel scheduled for the next day. I relayed that we would soon have the issues with Angel worked out so we could go forward with any treatments after testing, and he was pleased to hear that.

With the exception of the conference calls with the management teams this morning, we would be free for the rest of the day for Julie's fun time. I picked up the phone and called the marina where I kept my boat, and asked them to fuel it, and ready it for us. Then I went downstairs and gave Betina some money, asking her to call in an order for a large deli lunch for eight for a picnic, and pick it up for us. Then I asked her to pick up a swimsuit for Angel, if they hadn't gotten one for her already. I had bought Steph a couple of bathing suits the day we went shopping.

When I announced that we would be spending the day on the boat, Julie asked if a friend could go, and Lester called Sylvia to see if she could get the day off. Everybody was excited so we commenced to get the business out-of-the-way quickly.

By 1000 hours, we were motoring out of the marina and out into the bay, headed to Biscayne National Park. During the week it was quiet and the beach was decent. I currently owned a 52 foot Tiara Sovran, a small luxury yacht. It was nice for a small group, sleeping eight comfortably. It had teak and holly wood floors, and cherry wood accents in the cabins. Unfortunately, I didn't take it out and enjoy it enough. The last time I'd taken her out was after Aleina had begged me to take her for a weekend cruise. It had not been good fun for me being trapped with her in close quarters for that many hours. A healthy man can only fuck so much, and the rest of the time spent with her had been miserable. I turned and looked at this group and smiled. Today would be different.

Stephanie and Lula were talking while Julie and her girlfriend, Dana played with Angel on the deck floor. She was wearing a little orange and aqua blue swimsuit with seahorses on it. Over it, she wore a matching terry cover-up and a little bonnet to match. We had all chuckled she looked so cute when Steph brought her down to the living room. Sylvia had gotten away and arrived at the house in record time, and she was now canoodling with lover boy on the back deck. She was an attractive woman, she looked to be part Latina, petite with a very youthful pretty face. She had long brown hair like Julie, except hers was highlighted. She had two of Lester's favorite assets, nice legs and rack. She was a nice young woman, and I was going to warn him one more time about playing with her and being nice. She at least deserved the courtesy of knowing that he was a player, and not looking for a relationship before sleeping with him.

Tank moved up to the helm area with me and took a seat. "Is it my imagination, or is that a genuine smile on your face, hermano?"

I didn't look at him because I knew I was wearing a stupid grin and he'd caught me red-handed. He was up here to give me shit. "I'm smiling because we haven't all been together just to have fun in too long."

"True be that, but you feedin' me bull. You was grinnin' when I got here the other night. Whatever is happening here is makin' you happy. I hope you both get happy and quit foolin'."

"What's happening here is, I'm helping a friend down on her luck, and an innocent baby that came close to having zero choices starting out in life."

He continued. "What I'm sayin' is you're involved, emotionally involved. She looks better already, poor woman looked rough when we went to see her that first time. Looked like she'd been livin' hard for a while. Brought back memories of my childhood, man. I grew up just like the big T, man. My family was so poor we couldn't afford to pay attention. Got three meals a day, oatmeal, miss-a-meal, and no meal."

I chuckled. That was another Mr. T quote, but it was true for my friend. He'd had a good mama, but a tough upbringing. They had struggled on very meager means after his dad passed. The only reason he hadn't chosen the gang life was sheer geography. None close to where he lived to tempt him as a hungry young boy, then there was the fact that his mama would have ripped a couple of trees to shreds gathering switches to use on his brown ass. She was tough. "I know, and your mama deserves a medal for raising four class acts. She's badass. Steph is getting a little better every day, talking a little more. Big difference since Julie arrived."

"You need to fix this and keep that woman close to you from now on. It's the same situation as me and Lula. She ain't perfect, and she drives me crazy sometimes, but when she's not with me, I ain't a happy man. Same with you and Bomber," he said.

I glanced at the big bruiser sitting next to me with a heart of gold. I'd seen that man do some crazy shit in battle, like plow through half a cell of bad guys like a steamroller leaving a trail of destruction without taking a single bullet. "You better quit talkin' before I pull my gun and shoot you, and throw your ass overboard for a swim with the fishes. My seats are white, and it's hard to clean blood off a teak wood deck."

He boomed with laughter. "You threatening me boy? You wearin' a wife beater and board shorts. What? You got a pea-shooter strapped to your dick, fucker? Besides, you ain't gonna shoot me, who'd put up with yo ass then? I'm the only fool that pities the fool!"

I laughed out loud. The Mr. T shit, made me laugh every time. "We pay good money to our company head shrinks, I don't need you aping Mr. T, and analyzing me. Things aren't just magically going to go back to the way they were. For that matter, why would I want to go back to that?"

He snorted. "You don't go back, fool. You go forward. I don't like magic much myself, but I have been known to make guys disappear."

I burst out laughing and interjected my own Mr. T quote, "I got no time fo this jibba-jabba, asshole." He boomed and punched me in the bicep hard. Make that, big asshole.

We brought the inflatable dinghy with us and loaded it to go from ship to shore with our beach supplies and picnic. Then we all headed over. I sat with Steph and Angel on the beach, just at the point where the surf would wash over her up to her belly. She squealed with delight, and grabbed at the water every time it came up and bubbled around her. Steph looked up at me laughing. "I never dreamed that babies could be so much fun. I was always so afraid of them."

I smiled back at her. She loved the beach and today was a testament to that, she was glowing. Maybe too much. "Babe, I'm going to get the sunscreen to rub you and Angel down. I don't want you to get sunburned." She nodded.

I came back and quickly rubbed Angel down picking her up out of the water to rub her legs and she fussed. "Okay baby, I'm only going to interrupt your fun for a minute."

Stephanie giggled. "Ranger you look… Well, you just look so unlike you holding a baby."

I smiled at her and sat Angel back on the sand. Then I got behind Stephanie, kissing her shoulder and she stiffened. So I just squirted the sunscreen lotion there and began massaging it in. She slowly began to relax. "I don't dislike children. I just never wanted all the trappings that come with them. Wasn't that the same for you?"

She shrugged. I had just finished her back and was rubbing the lotion on her arms and she was relaxed with her eyes closed. "Yeah, I guess it was. The 'burg trappings are the worst."

I asked, "You didn't want to marry Morelli did you?"

She stiffened again and reached for the lotion in my hand. Our hands touched for a moment, and she barely squeezed my hand before she spoke. "I can do the rest myself. Thank you."

The moment was over and Julie and Dana showed up to get Angel. The two girls had started a sandcastle and said they were coming to get the queen. Julie deposited their two buckets between my legs, and told me to make myself useful and fill them, and that made Stephanie giggle. I laughed and said, "Yes, my lady. I'll be right there."

We had a fun day. After lunch we set up a net and played some beach volleyball. It was times like these that we really felt Bobby's absence. Being three and not an even four, an empty place that no man could ever fill the same way again. We made it fun though, I took the two girls on my side, and Sylvia wanted to join us. So, we battled Lester and Tank and won. That gave the girls something to rib the two about the whole way back to the marina.

I was watching the GPS monitor and focused when Sylvia came up to the helm. "Thank you for the fun day. I just wanted to say that if Julie is any indication of what you're like as a father, Angel is going to be one lucky kid."

I smirked. "Sylvia, I've been a good father for only about four years. She was the result of a drunken accident while I was on leave, I married , then divorced her mother, and gave up my rights as a parent."

She shrugged. "I guess you had your reasons. Maybe you thought you were making a responsible decision. I deal with selfish people and parents all the time that never make decisions for anyone else, but themselves. Accidents aren't always bad, you love Julie, and isn't that what Angel is?"

I glanced at her and smiled. "You're right, I thought I was doing the right thing back then. However, I am one of those selfish people you mentioned. I'm an opportunist. On that note, I love my cousin, and he's a good guy. You're a nice woman, and I want to warn you, in case he forgets to tell you; he's not a relationship kind of guy, he's a rock your world for one night kind of guy."

She laughed. "Nobody's perfect, Ranger. I think that's common criteria for most very successful people. And, I didn't just fall off the shrimp boat, Captain. Thanks for the 411, I haven't had my world rocked in ages."

I was so shocked that my mouth opened. Man, I had to seriously work on my blank face, it was out of shape. I glanced at her grinning. "Then carry on Ms. Martin, and enjoy your evening." I watched her turn and walk away. Now there is a fisherwoman with some special bait on her hook. She might just surprise my boy and reel him in.

We got back home late. Julie's friend called home and was spending the night. Since the upstairs would likely be rocking tonight, I put them downstairs in the living room. Making them a big bed on the floor. They would be happier anyway, because they would be up all night playing video games, munching in the kitchen, and gabbing until they succumbed to sleep.

I was nodding when there was a light rap on the door. "Come in." It was Stephanie with Angel again.

"What's wrong, Babe?"

"Um...nothing is really wrong. It's just that… Well, Lester's room is on the other side of mine, and it's kind of noisy over there tonight."

I burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, I had some advanced warning. I should have mentioned that to you. You can stay here. Come get in." I pulled the sheet down for her.

She smiled and walked over. I reached out and took a smiling Angel. "Hi, baby. You want to sleep with Dad, again?" I kissed her soft little cheek and she put her hands on my face. So, I blew on her face making a raspberry and she giggled. "Can you feel that vibration? Well, tomorrow is a big day for you, Angel. We'll know if you'll get to hear our voices one day soon, and if you can't, that's okay. We'll all learn to speak like Angel."

I glanced at Stephanie and she was smiling. "Thank you for helping her, Ranger."

"I'm happy to be helping you both, Babe. I'm enjoying you being down here. Do you think you'll like living here?"

She shrugged. "I need a new start. Just not like the last one. I can't really go home. It's nice here, just different."

"Babe, have you talked to your family at all? Do you want to contact them and let them know you're alright?"

She abruptly rolled over and said, "No. Goodnight, Ranger."

TBC -


	18. Chapter 18

**Great reviews again and thank you! Okay, some of you were getting really close the last couple of chapters, and guessed parts of Stephanie's story. Like I've said, over and over in this saga; the level of creative thinking was incredible with all of you reader pals. I'm really glad you enjoyed this story and thank you for staying with it.**

**A reviewer, ThinkAboutItBabe referred to this last chapter as the "grand explosion", and that kind of says it perfectly.**

**Alix33 is coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation. Thanks girl!**

**Warning - This is the chapter that requires either a box of tissue or a roll of what I call, TP (toilet paper).**

**Chapter 18 **

We had a full day scheduled and I regretted having to wake Stephanie. She was sleeping not like she used to, like she hadn't slept in a very long time. When she woke today, the change in just the way she looked was miraculous. She actually looked a few years younger.

We took Angel to have the MRI done first, then headed to the office that would do her hearing screening and testing. We were there for about two hours, and Angel was cranky and sleepy by the end. As soon as I put her in her car seat, she was asleep.

I asked Stephanie, "You want to take her back to the house and go eat someplace fun before your appointment with Dr. Ortiz?"

She nodded. "That would be nice. Could we have some more Cuban food? That was so good, I just wasn't able to enjoy it much that day."

I smiled. "Sure, Babe. I'll even call ahead and let them know we're coming."

We dropped Angel off with Betina, Julie and Lula. Tank and Lester had gone into the Miami office to spend the day. While we were there, I got a call from Dr. Canalis. "Hello, Dr. Canalis. I'm sure you didn't get the results of the tests back this soon. We just got back."

He sighed. "That's correct, Mr. Manoso. I got the results back from her blood work, and the MRI was just delivered. I checked them both together, and I know why she suffered hearing loss. I'll use the audio test results of course when treating her. It was non-genetic and happened after she was born."

I asked, "What happened? An injury?"

"No, it was jaundice. A simple test at birth can determine if a newborn has jaundice, and needs treatment or a blood transfusion to prevent brain damage or hearing loss. It's a shame that it wasn't caught before damage occurred."

I was speechless for a moment. "What… What is the treatment that you recommend from here?"

"We'll try hearing aids first and see how she responds to them. Later, we may consider the cochlear implants. She'll be fitted with what we call BTE aids or behind the ear. She may likely get very good results just from those."

"How soon can she be fitted?"

"I can go ahead and have my office assistant make an appointment with a provider we recommend if you like."

"Please do that, and thank you again."

I disconnected and went in search of Stephanie. She was in the kitchen, laughing with Julie and Lula. Julie was entertaining them with one of her corny little jokes. I hated to interrupt. "Babe, I need to talk to you a minute."

We walked into the living room and I said, "I got a call from Dr. Canalis and the answer for Angel's deafness."

Her eyes were wide. "You did? What is it?"

"It was simple jaundice, a condition that many babies have at birth. They do a test for it as soon as a baby is born and treat it if necessary."

Her face dropped and tears formed in her eyes, and she put her head in her hands. "Oh God, it's all my fault. If I had taken her immediately to a hospital, and given her up, she'd have her hearing and be healthy right now."

"Babe, you were shocked when you found her, and not thinking straight. How were you to know?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm a terrible person and mother. She was sick and I was being selfish. She deserves better than me. Any child deserves better than me!"

She turned and ran up the stairs. I watched her go, not really yet understanding her thinking at that time or now. The news that the Dr. gave us wasn't grave by any means. Angel could be fitted with hearing aids, and possibly begin hearing us immediately. I looked at my watch, we didn't have much time to get to her appointment.

I knocked on her bedroom door. She opened the door swiping tears from her eyes. "We need to get to your appointment, Babe."

"Okay, give me just a minute. I'll be right down, and you can tell me the rest of what the doctor said on the way."

I nodded. "I will, and it's not all bad. He has a plan."

* * *

I stood when I thought I heard sobbing coming from inside Dr. Ortiz's office. Over a few minutes, it just got louder and kept going on. I didn't know whether to be happy or concerned after a while. Something they were talking about was making her cry like that, and I never considered Stephanie a very emotional woman.

I sat there for nearly an hour and then the outside door opened and in walked Derek. "Ranger, Dr. Ortiz called and asked if I would be available to sit in as support for you. She has extended the session for another hour so we can all talk. Stephanie's session today revealed much that directly involves you, and Dr. Ortiz has encouraged Stephanie to talk about it with you now."

My brows furrowed and then I felt shame at what was going to be revealed about me in front of both of these professionals. Had I really realized that I, personally, had hurt her this much? I slowly stood and Derek knocked on the door and opened it, motioning for me to step in.

Before Stephanie looked away from me, I saw that her face was red, and she was still quietly sobbing. Dr. Ortiz pointed and said, "Sit down Mr. Manoso. I hope you don't mind me calling Dr. Sacks. I wanted you to have support here for this talk as well."

Support? Or the women want someone else present to witness my humiliation? I very reluctantly sat down in the chair next to Derek.

Dr. Ortiz looked at Stephanie. "Stephanie, are you now composed enough to talk to Ranger, and tell him your story?"

She sniffled and said in a shaky voice, "Give me just a minute, please." Her story? She was finally going to tell her story. I looked at Dr. Ortiz while we were waiting and then down at the coffee table and noticed a little ornate looking box with a pair of angel wings on it. It was curiously shaped for a trinket box.

Stephanie dropped a tissue in the trash can next to her and reached for another out of a box on the coffee table. She fussed with it as she opened her mouth to begin speaking, but didn't look up at me. "After Bobby was killed, I tried to contact you. I just wanted to apologize to you and to Lester. Joe said all those things Lester said were true. He told me that you were done with me, and so was the Trenton police department where my bounty hunting career was concerned. I wouldn't get help like I'd gotten before again. When I didn't hear from you, I eventually just quit my job."

She wiped her nose and continued. "I was having a hard time finding a new job. Rumors were floating around, and that reporter guy wrote an article about me. Even people I knew said that they were afraid to hire me because they were afraid for their businesses. I hung on for as long as I could. Rex died and then I ran out of money, and had to give up my apartment. I really hated doing that, there were so many memories there. Plenty of bad ones, but there were good memories of you..."

I sighed. Lester didn't mean everything he'd said. He was hurt and emotional that day. "Stephanie..."

Before I could finish, she said, "Please don't say anything yet or I won't be able to do this."

She still wasn't looking at me. "Go ahead..."

"After I moved in with Joe, I kept beating the streets, and knocking on doors, looking for a job. Less than a month there, I started getting sick a lot, and I couldn't hardly keep anything down. The next month, I knew why. I was pregnant."

What? But she told Lula that she was trying not to get pregnant. Before I could say a word she spoke again. "I already know what you're thinking, and no, I didn't tell Lula and Tank the real truth. I didn't want them to know about this, because I didn't want you to know."

I said, "Alright. I'm still listening. Tell me the rest of your story, Babe."

"I tried to hide it, but Joe figured it out a little over a month later. He was all excited, and didn't want to wait for a big 'burg wedding now that he had me where he wanted. He rushed us off to Las Vegas for a quickie wedding, and our mothers planned a big reception for us when we got back. He never really even asked me if I wanted to get married. I just had no choices left at that time. I did it in the end because he swore on his mother's life, not to tell anyone that I was pregnant. I didn't want the whole 'burg gossiping about me for the duration of my pregnancy. I just wanted to lay low, and try to prepare myself for such a huge life change. I was scared, people died and got hurt around me. Over time, I really believed what Lester said that day."

She stopped and asked for something to drink, and Dr. Ortiz opened a small fridge and gave her a bottle of water and handed one to the rest of us. She took a drink, and let out a sob and apologized. Dr. Ortiz said, "You don't need to apologize. Take your time, Stephanie."

She nodded and began to speak again. "The pregnancy went pretty easy, and I found myself beginning to get used to it. Maybe even had hope that things would turn out alright, and I would be a good mother. It had been hard keeping the pregnancy from Angie and Bella. In the beginning, they were over at the house all the time. Bella was doing the white glove tests, and Angie would check the fridge, cabinets, and the laundry. It was miserably intrusive, but not a big surprise. Grandma Mazur, with her eagle eyes, was the only one that was really looking at me different, but she never said a word during the pregnancy."

She stopped, took a deep breath, and when she breathed out, it was on another heavy sob. "At seven months, I was wearing one of Joe's big shirts, and trying not to look like I was waddling while out walking Bob. Suddenly, these severe cramps hit me, and almost slammed me to the concrete sidewalk."

She stopped again as tears began to appear from the corners of her eyes. "I almost didn't make it back without collapsing outside. I made it in the front door, Bob half pulling me in before I fell. My cell was in my purse upstairs, so I crawled to the kitchen to get to the phone there, when it happened..."

She stopped and a great, wracking, sob erupted from here. "Babe, you're doing good. What happened? Did the baby come?"

She looked up at me then and nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks, dropping into her lap. "I felt her coming, and barely got my pants down when she slid right out into my hands. I was shocked, and shaking, and she was so tiny, and didn't look right. Trying to think fast, I opened her little mouth and reached my finger in to clear it. Then grabbed the towel off the oven handle and wiped her tiny face, and frantically began trying to give her CPR. But she was gone. I knew it before I called anybody. Ranger, she was so beautiful, she was an angel...and she looked like you."

What she was saying slammed me like a freight train, and I looked down at the little box with the angel wings on it. Oh, Dios me perdone! I couldn't get my breath. A memory of the last night I'd spent with Stephanie flashed in my mind. It was just weeks before Bobby was killed and I'd stopped by her apartment. She'd gotten banged up, and I had laid down with her, and one thing sometimes led to another when I was that close to her.

I stood and headed for the door. Dr. Ortiz said, "Mr. Manoso, please stay. I realize that this is very shocking and difficult for you, but telling you this story is a big step for her and she's not finished."

I said over my shoulder. "I am for the moment, and I need some air. Right now..." Then I opened the door and walked out.

Before I got to the elevator, a voice said, "Ranger, I don't know the rest of the story, but would venture to guess that this woman has suffered greatly, alone. As painful as it may be, you owe it to her to at least listen to the rest."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Never in my life, not even in battle, had I wanted to escape so damn bad from a situation. Because this was an emotional situation, a place where I didn't like to go. Then like the fucker was reading my mind, he said, "I get that you're emotional and uncomfortable, but can you imagine how hard this is for her? She's likely been carrying around that little box along with a heavy burden for a long time. If you care for her, show her your softer side and support her by just listening. I don't think she would be here unless she was important to you. This can build a small bridge, bonding you, and help both of you more than you realize."

I growled under my breath and turned. I mumbled as I passed him, "You better be right or you're fired..."

I walked back in the room and Stephanie looked up at me with fear in her eyes. I said, "I'm sorry, you just caught me by surprise and that's hard to do. I do want to hear what happened after."

She seemed reluctant when she asked, "Are...are you sure."

"Yes, Babe. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."

She looked sad and shrugged. "You're not alone. Nobody was there, Ranger."

"Please continue," I said.

She nodded and started again. "I just called Joe, like I said, I knew she was gone. I had my wits about me enough to know that calling an ambulance would just begin a huge wave of gossip that would hurt him, and he was already going to be devastated times two. I knew that by making that call that my marriage, and my life with him would be over for good. And it was."

She took a drink of water. "He was so hurt when he saw that baby. I'll never forget the pain on his face, and the way he looked at me. We weren't off when the baby was conceived, I cheated on him. He never said a word at the time. He got a towel and wrapped the baby in it, and drove us to a hospital outside of Trenton. They checked the baby, and confirmed that it was still-born, then checked me, and asked where we wanted the remains sent. I cried as Joe asked them if they would send her to a local crematory, and mail the remains to us. He didn't talk to me on the way home, just dropped me off and left.

The next morning he came home and woke me from a restless sleep. He said with little emotion, "I don't want anyone to know. You've humiliated me enough, and I won't put _his_ baby to rest with my name on the death certificate or the marker. I made a phone call to make sure of that. You'll put the baby to rest under your name, yourself. I'll be seeking a discreet annulment, and you will leave my house. And Stephanie, I don't want to ever see you again, I don't care if that means you leaving Trenton."

She paused a moment and took a drink. "And that was it. I went to my parents house and stayed a few days. Grandma Mazur came to me one day and asked about my pregnancy, and I told her that I lost the baby and it wasn't Joe's. I told her that Joe asked me to leave town. She was sad for me, but told me that there were consequences for our actions when they hurt other people. The next day, the three of them asked to talk to me. My parents would hardly look at me, and my Mom was crying. Daddy said, "Pumpkin, your grandma talked to us because you're going to need our help. I'm sorry, but Joe has every right to be angry with you. He's also right, that you should leave Trenton. If a scandal like this ended up in the paper, it would be bad for you _and_ the family. Your mother has been through enough. All she ever wanted was for you to be happy. Stephanie, not only are you not happy, you're leaving a trail of carnage for other people. So, we're going to give you some money to help get you started. Maybe you could go back to Newark where your old job was, and you know some people."

She took another drink and sniffled. "Before I even left, that reporter guy found me again, and said he knew I had a secret. He wouldn't tell me what he knew, but he told me what I had to do to keep him from printing it." Then she snorted, followed by this demented sounding laughter.

"Ha! Turns out he didn't know shit. Just printed an exaggerated version of his first story. I was training for my new career before I even got to Newark."

She looked up at me with the saddest eyes. "I was reminded over and over again, that I got Bobby killed. I've left carnage, so many dead bodies. I probably killed Rex, and our baby. I made Angel deaf, and I'm so sorry, Ranger."

Then she began to sob again. I was angry now because of what she'd been through, and alone. I knew just from my association with her that the fucking 'burg was like a savage jungle. What a self-centered jerk I am. I walked over and picked her still frail body up off the chair, and sat down placing her on my lap while she cried. I put my arms around her. "You had nothing to do with her death. It was probably just a gentle act of God. There was likely something wrong with her like Bobby. You never got to put her to rest, did you?"

She looked at the little box on the table and shook her head. "No, and it bothered me so much until I found Angel. She looked almost identical to our own little angel. I couldn't give her up. I felt like she'd been given back to me again."

Now I understood everything she'd said up until this moment, the slap, it all made sense. While we'd suffered the loss of a friend, a friend that we would have lost in time anyway; she'd been suffering loss, over and over again.

I rested my head against hers and said, "We'll put our baby to rest under our names, Babe. Then we'll give Angel a good home, and we'll both earn our redemption for our wrongs in her name, and the one that we lost. I promise that I'll be with you when you suffer loss the next time."

I kissed her forehead and then the tears off her cheeks. "I know I always told you that I love you in my own way, but what I didn't tell you was that I've never loved anyone else the way I love you..."

The End

* * *

How long does it take to soften a heart? A moment...

And, may Bobby rest in peace, and a tiny little angel representing hope and love, and most important, redemption, continue to watch over this new family...


	19. Chapter 19

A/N - Good grief girls! If there was ever almost a unanimous vote for a sequel, it's to this story. You're forcing my typing hand. Okay, I'll do it, but you gotta give me some time. I do have some. I have to work on the sequel to my own book first. It's almost finished, wrapping up details, and gotta get it to Jenrar.

Then I'm talking to Proudofyoubabe about writing a Lester story for a fan in India. We are both busy, but the little gal has a really neat idea for that story that is big enough for two. She wants a badass (her words) Lester and a nasty (her words again, LOL) OC character to catch his Don Juan butt. She wants his background, like after Ranger left to go to juvie and the Army, his time with the guys in the Ranger's. Basically, how he became the man he is. Thought that was a very neat idea!

Love you guys and like Arnold said, "I'll be back!"

This a late note, but if anyone wants to talk about the ending, I blogged today. New address is mandycoltonfiction and it is a com.

Mandy aka the basketcse


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